KEMAMAN - A 13-year-old boy was apprehended by the police for recklessly driving a car without a licence, with four passengers on board in Taman Banggol Indah, Chukai.
Kemaman district police chief Superintendent Hanyan Ramlan said the teenager was arrested at about 5.15pm after being spotted driving against the traffic flow.
According to him, police were alerted to the incident when they carried out Op Samseng Jalanan around the area at 4pm.
"Police detected the suspect driving a white Proton Saga car coming from the opposite direction against the traffic while passing through Jalan Bawah Jambatan Geliga (Waterfront).
"Officers on duty tried to stop the vehicle but the driver ignored the orders to stop and continued to accelerate in order to escape.
"Police continued to follow and ordered the car to stop three times but it was still ignored,” he said in a statement yesterday.
According to Hanyan, the police chased the suspect for 10 kilometers before the teenager halted the vehicle at a self-service laundromat and fled.
"The suspect and four friends aged between 13 to 16 years old were successfully apprehended and taken under custody for further action under Section 42 (1) of the Road Transport Act (APJ) 1987,” he said.
Hanyan clarified that the vehicle's owner, who happens to be the suspect's mother, will also be summoned to provide testimony and face charges for allowing individuals without a licence to operate her vehicle.
Meanwhile, Hanyan stressed that the suspect committed several other offences that posed a danger to himself and other road users.
"The suspect was observed driving the car recklessly in a zigzag pattern along the federal road, spanning from kilometer 155 to kilometer 157 on Jalan Kuala Terengganu-Kuantan.
"The suspect failed to stop at the Mak Lagam traffic light and dangerously cut off other vehicles at the Geliga Bus Station traffic light, thereby committing further traffic violations,” he said.