Johor Baru North police chief Assistant Commissioner Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh said the suspect was initially spotted acting suspiciously by a police patrol car (MPV) team on crime prevention rounds in Jalan Besar Skudai towards Tampoi at 9.30pm. — Screengrab from TikTok/@preteepbalan
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By Ben Tan
Monday, 15 Jan 2024 7:30 PM MYT
JOHOR BARU, Jan 15 — Police managed to nab a 37-year-old man, believed to be on drugs, after a 20 kilometre car chase from Skudai to Masai here last night.
Johor Baru North police chief Assistant Commissioner Balveer Singh Mahindar Singh said the suspect was initially spotted acting suspiciously by a police patrol car (MPV) team on crime prevention rounds in Jalan Besar Skudai towards Tampoi at 9.30pm.
“The MPV team then ordered the suspect to stop his Proton Waja car for a routine check before he sped off, triggering a high-speed chase.
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“The suspect, in his haste to flee, then crashed into a pursuing MPV at a petrol station in Jalan Masai Lama, putting an end to the chase. The suspect was immediately apprehended and taken into custody,” said Balveer in a statement here.
He was commenting on last night’s high-speed chase between a Proton Waja and several police cars that was shared on social media earlier today.
Balveer said further checks of the suspect’s Proton Waja led to the discovery of a long machete.
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He said the suspect was a local and had previous records for several criminal and drug cases.
“The screening results of the suspect’s urine test showed that it was positive for methamphetamine abuse,” he said, adding that the suspect has been remanded until Wednesday to facilitate investigations.
Police are investigating the case under Section 186 of the Penal Code for voluntarily obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his public duties and Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Dangerous Weapons Act 1958 for having a machete.
The suspect will also be investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for the self-administration or consumption of prohibited narcotic substances.
Earlier, the TikTok video, featuring the high-speed chase and the suspect’s eventual arrest, was widely shared.
The 19-second video showed the suspect evading two police patrol cars where he attempted to make a turn before crashing into another pursuing police car.
In it, the Johor Bahru Utara IPD MPV unit was shown cornering the vehicle causing the suspect to hit the police vehicle while making a turn.