KOTA KINABALU – Police fired at the tyre and window of a stolen four-wheel-drive truck when its 35-year-old female driver drove recklessly to evade arrest.
Kota Kinabalu police deputy chief George Abdul Rakman said police had received a tip-off around 9.59am from the owner of the stolen Toyota Hilux.
The vehicle was then spotted on the roadside near the Filipino market in town.
The owner noted that his vehicle was driven by an unknown woman.
“Acting on information, two patrol cars successfully detected the vehicle near Tanjung Lipat in Likas and approached it.
“Police officers ordered the suspect to stop the car but the suspect did not heed to the instruction and sped off,” George said in a statement today.
A high-speed chase drama ensued and a second attempt to detain the women took place near the junction entering Universiti Malaysia Sabah when police officers put up safety cones on the road.
“But the suspect rammed through the checkpoint and sped off towards Sepanggar road.
“It was around Tebobon in Menggatal that the suspect got trapped in a traffic jam and decided to turn into the emergency lane to elude arrest, but was unsuccessful,” he said.
Two officers approached the vehicle from behind and the suspect, upon realising this, reversed the truck abruptly, said George, adding that several shots had to be fired to stop the driver from reversing.
“The police officers had to break the left side of the windscreen to arrest the suspect,” said George, adding that a police officer suffered minor injuries on his left arm from the incident.
The chase lasted for about 90 minutes.
A video of the attempted arrest in Tanjung Lipat had gone viral earlier after a photo of the stolen Toyota Hilux posted by the owner on social media had also gone viral a day earlier.
According to George, the woman had a previous criminal record and was possibly under the influence of drugs during the incident.
The case is now being investigated under Section 307 for attempted murder. – The Vibes, February 14, 2022
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