A man in his 30s has been remanded for three days after allegedly driving a stolen lorry for about 100 kilometres through Johor and ramming a police patrol car while attempting to escape arrest.
The suspect was brought before the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court on October 1, where Magistrate Tan Chiew King granted the three-day remand order to allow police to continue their investigation.
The incident began at around 7.20 a.m. on September 30 after a green lorry was reported missing and believed to have been stolen in the Plentong area.
Members of the public later spotted the lorry in the Tanjung Langsat industrial area of Pasir Gudang and alerted police. Officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop the driver, but the suspect allegedly refused to comply and sped away.
Police said the man drove dangerously as officers pursued him. The chase covered approximately 100 kilometres and involved several police vehicles attempting to intercept the lorry.
During the pursuit, the suspect allegedly drove against the flow of traffic and made dangerous manoeuvres in an effort to evade the officers. A video of the chase later circulated widely on social media, showing several police vehicles following a green lorry through the Pasir Gudang area.
At one point, the lorry allegedly rammed a police patrol car while the officers were trying to stop it.
The suspect was eventually arrested in Pasir Gudang at around 10.20 a.m., ending the pursuit nearly three hours after it began.
Police said a search of the suspect uncovered a transparent packet containing a substance believed to be drugs. An initial urine screening also tested positive for methamphetamine.
Investigators further found that the man had 27 previous criminal and drug-related records, according to police.
Authorities are investigating the case under several laws, including provisions covering vehicle theft, obstructing a public servant, reckless and dangerous driving, and drug-related offences.
The suspect is being investigated under Section 379A of the Penal Code for vehicle theft, Section 186 for obstructing a public servant, and Section 42 of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless and dangerous driving. Drug-related investigations are also being conducted under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
The three-day remand order will run until October 3 as police continue gathering evidence and investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged vehicle theft, the lengthy pursuit and the collision with the patrol car.
The incident has also drawn attention after footage of the dramatic pursuit spread online, showing the extent of the police operation to stop the allegedly stolen lorry before the suspect was finally taken into custody.
