BUKIT MERTAJAM: A lone criminal accused in two robbery cases was shot dead by the police during a shootout on Jalan Sungai Lembu, here, at 12.35am earlier today.
Prior to that, the 44-year-old suspect driving a Proton X70 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) was spotted behaving suspiciously as a team of police officers from the Serious Crime Division (D9) of the Penang Contingent Police Headquarters (IPK) was conducting crime prevention patrols.
State Police Chief, Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said that the D9 team then identified themselves before requesting the suspect to stop for further inspection.
However, the suspect refused to cooperate and attempted to flee while firing shots at the police.
"The D9 team also fired shots, and the suspect drove his vehicle for about 200 metres before skidding off the road.
"The suspect then exited his vehicle and aimed a pistol at the D9 team. In self-defence, the police once again fired several shots at the suspect, resulting in his demise near the vehicle," he told reporters here, today.
He added that an inspection of the suspect's SUV revealed that it had a fake registration number that were used in two recent robbery cases at a lottery premise and a grocery store in Butterworth.
"Further investigation revealed that the suspect was found to have 16 prior records involving robberies, drugs including cases investigated under Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons, besides frequently moving in and out of Simpang Renggam.
"All these crimes committed by the suspect spanned across three states, namely Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Melaka," he said.
Khaw said the suspect, hailing from Penang, was known for actively committing dangerous lone robberies, using a pistol to intimidate victims.
"The police have confiscated the semi-automatic pistol used by the suspect in this shootout incident," he said.