GEORGE TOWN: A suspected copper cable thief’s car was shot at by pursuing police after he escaped from the men in blue who had wanted to question him.
Acting Northeast district police chief Supt Lee Swee Sake said the 5.30 pm drama unfolded when police personnel on patrol encountered the suspect, who was behaving suspiciously, near the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) substation at Jalan Kelawai.
“The policemen wanted to check the driver of the car but the man sped off, nearly hitting a policeman. He continued to drive dangerously and hit several other nearby vehicles,” he said when contacted last night.
“The policeman fired two shots, which struck the car’s front left tyre but the vehicle continued moving. The car came to grief 200 metres (m) away due to a flat tyre. The suspect gave pursuing police the slip.”
He said the suspect was eventually nabbed in the Midland area, some 500 m from where he abandoned his car. The suspect was trying to hide in a shopping complext when he was apprehended.
Lee said that based on preliminary investigations, the suspect was believed to be involved in stealing copper cables from the TNB substation room.
He added that police are still conducting further investigations, including whether the suspect is involved in other cases of copper cable theft in the district.
