KOTA KINABALU: A police team had to seek cover behind their patrol car in a gunfire exchange with a suspected burglar at Jalan Kayu Madang in Telipok, here this morning.
In the 2am incident, the team was conducting its patrol in the vicinity of the 1Borneo shopping mall when they spotted a lone man on a motorcycle.
The man roused the police’s suspicions and they approached him in a bid to conduct a check. However, the man, in his 20s, instead sped off.
Sabah police deputy commissioner Datuk Razaruddin Huzain said police then gave chase, which led them to the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), Sepanggar.
“As he reached a road divider, the suspect lost control of the motorcycle and skidded. However, as soon as he got up, he produced a gun and opened fire on the policemen, forcing them to take cover behind their car,” he said.
A gunfight then ensued, which ended with the suspect shot dead. A .38 revolver was found by his side.
Razaruddin said police also retrieved three live bullets from the suspect's pocket. Checks on the motorcycle showed that it was reported stolen in Tuaran on Feb 5.
"Police also found a bag containing tools used to carry out burglaries. We have recorded his fingerprints and submitted them to Bukit Aman to determine his nationality as no identification documents were found,” he said.
The body was taken to the Queen Elizabeth 1 Hospital for a post mortem examination.