A clash broke out between two groups in Maduwanwela, Kiriella in the Ratnapura district last night after a cab and a car collided, with a legally-held pistol fired nine times into the air before being seized and removed from the scene, police said.
According to investigators, an occupant of the cab involved in the accident drew his licensed pistol and fired it into the air. The opposing party then snatched the weapon and discharged a further nine rounds into the air before fleeing with the firearm.
A man from the Horana area who was assaulted during the altercation is receiving treatment at the Ratnapura General Hospital, police said. The pistol was later recovered during a follow-up search inside a house in the Kiriella area.
The incident is the latest in a series of firearm-related arrests in the Ratnapura belt this year and adds to a broader pattern of licensed pistols being misused in civilian disputes. Police are investigating both the assault and the unlawful use of the firearm.
Source: NewsFirst.
