GEORGE TOWN – Two men were shot dead in a shootout with police on Jalan Permatang Baru, Sg Lokan in Butterworth early this morning.
They were believed to be en route to commit a crime, believed to be either robbery or drug trafficking.
Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said that a team from the special investigation unit of the criminal investigation department encountered a suspicious Perodua Myvi at the intersection of Jalan Pokok Sena and Jalan Permatang Baru, Sg Dua, at 2.05am.
“The team then approached the car and instructed the driver to stop the vehicle for inspection. However, the driver sped off, firing several shots at the police.
“Police pursued the car for about 2km before it skidded off the road. When the police attempted to inspect the vehicle, the suspects fired shots, prompting the police to return fire in self-defence,” he said at a press conference at the Penang police headquarters today.
He reported that after the situation calmed down, police conducted an inspection and found that both the driver and the front passenger, aged 41 and 51 respectively, had died from gunshot wounds.
Hamzah added that further inspection yielded two Glock and SW 38 pistols and 176 bullets in the car. Investigations found that they obtained the firearms from a neighbouring country.
He said police also conducted checks on the car and believed that it was stolen, as it belonged to a man in Terengganu and its road tax had expired in 2021.
“Investigations also revealed that the two men had 12 and 13 previous criminal records respectively. We are currently conducting further investigations to determine whether they were members of a secret society,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code and Section 8 of the Arms Act 1960. – June 26, 2024