JOHOR BARU, Oct 17 — Police apprehended a 27-year-old man after firing several shots at the tyres of his car when he drove against oncoming traffic and rammed into three other vehicles in an attempt to evade arrest yesterday.

Officers also seized 0.296 kilogrammes of a substance believed to be heroin from the suspect following a five-minute chase.

Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar reported that the incident occurred at 6.50pm when a police patrol car detected the suspect acting suspiciously in his Honda Accord at a parking area on Jalan Datuk Abdullah Tahir.

Upon noticing the patrol car approaching and being ordered to stop for inspection, the suspect immediately sped off.

"The suspect attempted to flee by driving against the flow of traffic before colliding with three other vehicles in the process.

"Officers then fired three shots at the suspect’s car tyres to prevent him from continuing to escape and endangering others.

"The suspect was subsequently apprehended, and further checks revealed the illicit narcotics in his vehicle,” Kumar told reporters at the Johor police contingent headquarters’ parade grounds today.

He was there to present commendation letters to officers and members of the public for good conduct and upholding the law.

Kumar added that the suspect tested positive for methamphetamine abuse during a drug screening. He also has 16 prior records for various criminal acts and drug-related offences.

"Police are investigating the case under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a civil servant from discharging his duties, Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder, and Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952 for drug trafficking.

"Additionally, the suspect is being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the DDA 1952 for illegal narcotics consumption and Section 44(1A)(a) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for driving under the influence of drugs,” he said.

The suspect has been remanded for seven days from today to assist with investigations. Earlier, the Johor Baru Magistrate’s Court Senior Assistant Registrar, Chai Ing Hien, granted the remand order.