TAWAU: A police officer was injured after being shot during a struggle while attempting to arrest a man who tried to flee from a checkpoint at BaZhong, here, Friday.
Tawau District Acting Police Chief Supt Champin Piuh said the suspect, in his 30s, who acted aggressively during the arrest, was also injured by gunfire.
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“Initially, two police officers on routine patrol and crime prevention duty stopped a white Viva at 10.45am on Jalan Persisiran Pantai,” he said.
However, a man inside the car tried to escape, leaving his vehicle behind before being chased and successfully detained in the Bazhong Commercial Centre area.
During the arrest, the man refused to cooperate and acted aggressively, resulting in a struggle with one of the police officers.
“The police officer, who was holding a pistol during the struggle, accidentally discharged a shot, injuring the suspect’s left hand,” he said.
Another police officer who came to assist in arresting the same suspect was also shot and sustained an injury to his right thigh.
The injured police officers and the suspect were immediately taken to Tawau Hospital by ambulance for treatment.
“Preliminary investigations indicate the suspect was carrying another person’s identification card, and a vehicle search uncovered a suspicious powder suspected to be methamphetamine,” he added.
A 42-second video showing the incident went viral on social media and has been viewed nearly 43,000 times.
