KOTA KINABALU: Police have arrested the motorcyclist who was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident that left a 13-year-old girl injured in Luyang near here.

Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm M. Chandra said that the suspect, a restaurant worker, had claimed that he did not stop after the accident because he was an asthma patient and was rushing to his workplace to get his inhaler.

ACP Chandra said the man was arrested at 8am Friday by police who are investigating the case for reckless driving under Section 42 (1) of the Road Transport Act which carries a penalty of five years jail or a fine or both if found guilty.

The Form One student from St Francis Convent was crossing the road along the Jalan Kebajikan and Jalan Kolam in Luyang at around 5.55pm Thursday when a motorist knocked her down.

The girl was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 in Damai here by passing motorists where she is recovering from unspecified injuries.

The video clip, caught on the dashboard camera of a car, shows cars stopping at the traffic intersection.

However, the motorcyclist ignores the red light and hits the schoolgirl who was crossing the road at that time.

Following the impact, the girl falls to the ground in the middle of the road with the biker fleeing the scene without first making a quick glance at the victim.

The suspect has a valid licence and was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.-thestar