Johor police fire shots at fleeing car outside eatery; diners rush to take cover

Whilst having dinner at a JB eatery, a group of diners were shocked to see a car hedge itself between the restaurant's exterior and another vehicle.

The shock turned to panic when a man with a gun started walking towards them, causing diners to scamper for cover.

The drama unfolded at about 6.50pm last Wednesday (Oct 16) at Jalan Dato' Abdullah Tahir, which is about a 20-minute drive from Singapore, reported Malaysian media outlet the New Straits Times (NST).

A TikTok video of the incident uploaded on Monday by user Omgitsyen shows a silver Honda Accord colliding with a stationary black car and getting stuck between the car and the eatery wall.

The person filming the video immediately rushes away from the window. The clip then cuts to show diners squatting down behind the counters and structures of the restaurant.

In the caption, the user wrote that two men were trying to stop the driver of the Honda Accord, with one man, reportedly a plainclothes police officer, shooting twice at the car.

"People in the restaurant started screaming and shouting, 'He has a gun!'

"We ran away from the window because the man with the gun was running straight toward us, right in front of the stuck car—it turned out he was a cop trying to nab the driver!"

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@omgitsyen/video/7427893920220106005[/embed]

Driver had led police on chase; possessed drugs 

Speaking to Malaysian media on Thursday, Johor police chief M. Kumar said the police officers had no choice but to fire three shots at the tyres of the Honda Accord to stop the 27-year-old driver from fleeing.

"When policemen approached the vehicle, he pressed on the escalator and sped off, while attempting to run the officers over," said Kumar to the NST. 

"He also drove against traffic flow, which prompted the officers to open fire."

The driver then led officers on a five-minute chase to outside the eatery, where he stopped momentarily but tried to escape again by driving against traffic, consequently damaging three other vehicles.

Kumar said the man—who has 16 prior criminal records—was subsequently arrested and tested positive for methamphetamine. Police also seized 296g of heroin found in his car.

The case is being investigated for the offences of obstructing a public servant, attempted murder, drug trafficking and driving under the influence of drugs, reported Bernama.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com