Police to penalise teens in Water Canal bridge jump
Video of one youth doing a backflip goes viral
Dubai Police are hunting for two teenagers who jumped off the Dubai Water Canal bridge after a video of their stunt went viral on social media, an official said yesterday.
Brigadier Abdullah Khadim, director of Bur Dubai police station, said the video shows two teenagers jumping from the bridge just before sunset. One of them, wearing a white kandoura, even does a backflip.
He said Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, has ordered that legal action be taken against the youngsters.
“Two people jumped and there were others encouraging them while recording the video using a mobile phone camera. [The] commander-in-chief has ordered [us] to take legal action as their action endangered their lives. The bridge is not for such activities,” Brig Khadim said.
A team of officers is investigating the video to identify the youngsters.
Brig Khadim added that people who indulge in such stunts are usually made to sign an undertaking promising not to repeat them.
“There was another young man in the video who was recording and he encouraged them to jump,” Brig Khadim said.
“Such behaviour is not acceptable... Parents should monitor their children and also know their friends.”
The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai declined to comment on the incident.