BALING - Police were forced to open fire at a car carrying six individuals during a 70-kilometre car chase which started at a roadblock in Gerik and ended in Baling today.
Baling police chief Supt Shamsudin Mamat said a Patrol Car Unit (MPV) from the Gerik district police headquarters (IPD), Perak, received information from officers on duty at a roadblock in Sungai Lebey, Gerik at 4am, informing them of a suspicious Proton Perdana car speeding through the police checkpoint.
He said the Gerik MPV had conducted an Op Kesan in the surrounding area and tracked down the suspects’ vehicle at a petrol station in Kuala Rui, Gerik.
"When police attempted to conduct an inspection, the suspects accelerated the vehicle, prompting the police to pursue the car until it entered the Baling border, Kedah. The Gerik MPV then requested assistance from the Baling MPV.
"The suspects’ vehicle was driven in a manner which endangered the lives of road users from the opposite direction, and to prevent the suspect vehicle from colliding with other vehicles, the Gerik MPV patrol members issued three warnings through the 'spectra' communication device," he said in a statement here.
Shamsudin said the suspects refused to stop their car, forcing the patrol car members to fire five warning shots, two of which hit the vehicle's bonnet.
He said the vehicle, however, continued to speed before skidding on the Kuala Pegang Bridge, and two suspects believed to be the driver and front passenger fled under the bridge and escaped.
He said an inspection of the vehicle found a man and three women believed to be foreigners aged between 23 and 39 without valid identification or travel documents.
"The suspects and vehicle were taken to the Baling district police headquarters for further investigation. No casualties were reported in this incident," he said.
He added that one suspect, a local man in his 30s who fled, was apprehended at the Gerik Bus Station, Perak, at 3 pm today, while another suspect remains at large.
Shamsudin said they would also investigate the policemen to determine whether they followed procedures when opening fire.
"Police advise the public not to make any speculation that could jeopardise the peace and credibility of any party or ongoing investigations," he said. - BERNAMA