The HAL police on Friday (August 7) arrested a private company employee for allegedly assaulting two men with a baseball bat following a trivial altercation near AECS Layout.

The accused, identified as Arun, a resident of AECS Layout, was let off on station bail. The incident took place on August 6. According to the FIR, the victims, Sandeep Kumar and his friend Rohith, were waiting for another friend to join them for a morning walk near an ice cream parlour in Block A of AECS Layout at around 5 a.m.

Arun allegedly arrived in an SUV at high speed and stopped near the two men. Despite having no prior acquaintance with them, he allegedly asked them whether they were “terrorists”. Rohith responded that they were Indian citizens.

The accused then threatened the duo and demanded that they produce their identity cards. When the two men questioned his authority to seek their IDs, Arun allegedly grew angry, abused them and picked up a baseball bat kept in his car to attack them. When Rohith attempted to record the incident on his phone, Arun allegedly struck the phone with the bat and assaulted the victims, the FIR stated.

The police registered a case under BNS sections dealing with wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, and launched an investigation. According to the police, Arun was intoxicated and was provoked without any provocation.