KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25: A Malaysian referee took out his gun and fired warning shots in the air after a local soccer match turned unruly following the suspension of a player, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

The referee, who was also a policeman, ran to his patrol car to get his gun after players mobbed him for showing the red-card to one of them, the New Straits Times said.

“We are investigating as to whether the policeman was justified in taking out his firearm and discharging it, and also why he had it with him during the match,” it quoted Hussin Ismail, police chief in the southern Johor state, as saying.

The policeman was taken into custody for suspected misuse of firearms.

Five players, aged between 23 and 40, were also being held for questioning and could be charged for rioting, the paper said.

—Reuters