Jakarta. Protests led by online motorbike taxi drivers and other communities are heating up in front of the Mobile Brigade Corps' headquarters in Kwitang, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

The tragic death of fellow ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan had sparked the protests. Affan was delivering a customer's order when he got run over by a police vehicle during a rally in Jakarta on Thursday night. Hundreds of online motorbike taxi drivers -- dressed in their green company jackets -- stood in solidarity, demanding justice for their colleague in front of the police's headquarters the next day.

The protests escalated after the police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Some ran to the Tugu Tani area. Many tried to cover their faces to protect themselves from the gas that could irritate their eyes and respiratory tracts. However, they did not retreat.

The demonstrators continued to walk towards the headquarters. Some even retaliated by throwing firecrackers at the building. A driver suffered a head injury. An Indonesian Red Cross ambulance immediately took the wounded to the hospital at around 3.55 p.m. local time. As of writing, neither the police nor the drivers' association had issued an official statement regarding the injury. 

Two individuals had reportedly fainted due to tear gas exposure. Military personnel immediately evacuated them in an ambulance.

The mob also deliberately set fire to a building following the tear gas launch. The fire had been extinguished.

The video of Affan getting hit by the police vehicle had gone viral on social media, sparking massive outrage among the motorcycle taxi community and the general public. The police are currently questioning 7 mobile brigade officers who were in the vehicle.

Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo has apologized for Affan's death. President Prabowo Subianto, too, has expressed his condolences, while also promising government support for the victim's family.

“The government will guarantee the well-being of his family and give special attention to his parents and siblings,” Prabowo said in a televised statement.

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