GEORGE TOWN, July 10 — A high-speed police chase through the streets of Bayan Lepas this morning left a trail of damaged vehicles before police finally arrested a 36-year-old van driver.
The chase ended when officers fired a shot at the van’s front tyre as the driver attempted to ram the pursuing policemen.
South-west district police chief Supt Kamarul Rizal Jenal said a team of traffic police was conducting an operation along Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway at about 8am today when they noticed a suspicious-looking van.
When the policemen tried to stop the vehicle, the driver sped off.
This led to a high-speed 5km-long pursuit from the expressway onto Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim in Bayan Lepas.
“The suspect tried to ram the policemen in pursuit so a shot was fired at the van’s front tyre, causing it to veer off the road and come to a stop,” he said in a press statement on the incident today.
He said the suspect was immediately arrested and he was found to be driving without a valid driving licence.
“He had multiple past criminal records and a urine test confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in his system,” he said.
He said the suspect was also on the wanted list in connection with a drug case in 2023 under Section 15 (1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
He added that several vehicles parked by the roadside along the route of the chase were damaged due to the suspect’s reckless driving in his bid to escape.
“This case will be investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder and Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960 for discharging a firearm in a public place,” he said.
