Man arrested for speeding, killing senior citizen

GEORGE TOWN: Police detained a man who sped off in his car to avoid arrest, resulting in the car fatally hitting and running over an elderly man in Jalan Perak, here, today.

The aggressive action of the 46-year-old man, believed to be a drug trafficker, had also caused police to fire four shots after he refused to stop his car with police chasing him for up to six kilometres at Jalan Batu Uban 2, here.

Northeast district police chief, ACP Soffian Santong said in the 6.40 am incident, two policemen who were on a crime prevention patrol tried to stop a grey Perodua Myvi car driven by a man in a suspicious manner at the Jalan P. Ramlee-Jalan Perak traffic intersection.

"The man then drove fast to avoid getting arrested by police until he hit a 61-year-old man who was crossing the road and the victim thrown 10 to 15 metres away before falling on the road.

"The driver still did not stop but sped off with the car running over the victim who died at the scene due to severe injuries. His body was then taken to Penang Hospital," he said when contacted today.

Soffian said the suspect, who worked as a grass cutter, was arrested at Jalan Batu Uban 2 after his car stalled and he did not suffer any injuries, but an inspection found him having three packets of heroin weighing 13 grammes.

"The man admitted that he obtained the drug from his friend to be distributed to his other friends and during the incident, he was under the influence of drugs." he added.

The man with 14 drug-related and two criminal records is being remanded for further investigation and the case investigated under Sections 302 and 186 of the Penal Code and Section 39 of the Firearms Act 1960.

-- BERNAMA