JOHOR BARU: Johor’s top cop is standing by his men after a video showing policemen assaulting a drug suspect went viral.

The 50-second video, which was uploaded on Facebook, showed the cops using force on a man who was lying on the side of a road in Seri Alam, Pasir Gudang.

One of the policemen, in a fluorescent police vest, was seen holding the suspect while another kicked him in the head.

Two other policemen merely stood by and watched.

Johor CPO Comm Datuk Wan Ahmad Najmuddin said the policemen were acting “within their duty” as the suspect had tried to evade arrest by riding recklessly, putting the safety of others at risk.

He said the incident occurred when two motorcycle patrol unit personnel in Jalan Masai saw the motorcyclist and stopped to check him out at about 6.50pm on Friday.

“The suspect sped off when ordered to stop and rode recklessly, which threatened the safety of other civilians, prompting the policemen to pursue him,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Comm Wan Ahmad said upon arriving in Taman Cahaya Masai, the suspect lost control and crashed his machine.

He was then nabbed with the help of two other patrol unit officers from Seri Alam district.

“The officers found a packet containing marijuana on the suspect and he also tested positive for amphetamine in a urine test,” he said.

Comm Wan Ahmad said the suspect sustained minor injuries from the crash earlier.

“Our officers had no choice but to use force as the suspect was not cooperative and tried to retaliate,” he said, adding that the suspect had been remanded for investigations under Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Comm Wan Ahmad urged the public to stop spreading the video clip on social media to avoid creating misunderstanding.