QuickCheck: Did two Tawau drug suspects ram a police car in a failed bid to flee?

The Star

15-07-2025

CAR chases are exciting, and potentially, dangerous affairs and videos of such incidents often go viral on social media.
One such incident caught on camera shows a four-wheel drive vehicle ramming a police car and colliding with several civilian vehicles before being intercepted, and two suspects were arrested.
Is it true that such a car chase occurred in Tawau, as alleged in captions and comments on the viral video?
Verdict:
TRUE
Tawau deputy OCPD Superintendent Champin Piuh confirmed the incident, saying that two drug addicts, including a teenager, rammed a police car and collided with several civilian vehicles in a desperate attempt to evade arrest.
He said that the suspects were eventually apprehended after police cornered their vehicle during the incident, which took place at around 1.45pm on Sunday (July 13), near the Batu 3 industrial area at Jalan Apas.
Supt Champin said, in a statement Monday (July 14), that a team from the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division had been pursuing the suspects as part of Ops Tapis, a drug enforcement operation.
Officers had earlier spotted a four-wheel drive vehicle being driven suspiciously and attempted to intercept it.
'As the police attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspects became aggressive, ramming the police car and crashing into several civilian vehicles,' said Supt Champin in a statement posted on the Tawau district police Facebook page on Monday (July 14).
The incident, which occurred at a traffic light junction, was recorded by bystanders and has since gone viral on social media, drawing widespread concern over the suspects' reckless behaviour.
The suspects fled towards Jalan Apas, continuing to drive recklessly and hitting more vehicles along the route before being surrounded and arrested.
A search of the vehicle uncovered a fabric bag under the handbrake containing two transparent plastic packets of crystalline substances, believed to be syabu (methamphetamine) weighing about 5.13g, with an estimated street value of RM400.
Subsequent tests revealed that both suspects, identified as a 25-year-old local man and an 18-year-old foreigner, tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
The case is being investigated under Section 39A(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, and police are continuing efforts to track down other individuals who may be involved.
'Police will not tolerate individuals who act aggressively, break the law, and endanger the lives of other road users,' Champin said.
He also urged the public not to shelter or cooperate with drug dealers and encouraged anyone with information on criminal or drug-related activity to come forward via official police channels.
'Public cooperation is vital in helping us combat crime, especially drug trafficking, which remains a major threat to community safety,' he added.
He said the public can relay information to the Tawau district police headquarters or contact the 24-hour hotline at 089-772 121 or via the Volunteer Smartphone Patrol (VSP) app.