BUKIT MERTAJAM: Three men who were spotted trying to break into a house at Taman Remia, Machang Buboy here yesterday fled from the scene in a BMW, with patrol officers in hot pursuit.
During the chase, the BMW driver rammed the patrol officers’ vehicles, which forced them to open fire at the trio twice in the 3pm incident.
One of the patrol officers suffered a leg injury in the attack.
Despite a dogged pursuit by law enforcement personnel, the men managed to escape.
The BMW was discovered at 10pm, burned to a crisp at Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Taiping, Perak. There was no sign of the trio.
The incident began when the men were spotted loitering near a house belonging to a real estate agent at Taman Sejahtera Permai.
A concerned neighbour snapped pictures of the trio, and sent them to the homeowner to alert him.
“The (homeowner) immediately went back to his house to check on the situation.
“By the time he arrived, they had already escaped, as they failed to break into the house; and the incident had also been reported to the police,” said Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Assistant Commissioner Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul.
The trio was later spotted by patrol officers who tried to intercept their getaway vehicle, but failed in their attempt.
“They rammed the patrol officers’ vehicles, forcing them release a few shots in self-defence.
“They then sped off, heading towards Bukit Mertajam and disappeared.
“Their car was found burned in Taiping about seven hours later.
“We are still hunting down the trio, and checks on the vehicle’s registration number found that it is registered to a person in Kuala Lumpur,” Nik Ros Azhan added.
The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.
