Police open fire after 'tonto' tries to ram them

General Operations Force (GOF) 9th Battalion commanding officer Supt Mannadzar Nasib said, however, the suspect fled on foot into some undergrowth after his BMW skidded and crashed in the 12.30 am incident.

He said a GOF 9th battalion team in a car had been chasing the tonto, who was escorting a tour bus carrying 20 illegal Myanmar immigrants.

"The GOF team started tailing the two vehicles near Kampung Pohon Tanjong here, but they accelerated and sped off on noticing the presence of police.

"We managed to stop the tour bus in front of a supermarket in Tanah Merah after a 30 km chase," he told reporters here today.

"The BMW driver also stopped his vehicle but suddenly stepped on the accelerator and tried to ram the policemen who approached him," he said.

He said policemen fired two shots at the car tyres in a bid to stop his getaway.

He said two local men in their 30s, who acted as the bus drivers, were arrested for suspected involvement with a syndicate smuggling illegal immigrants.

"We believe the syndicate rented the tour bus to transport the illegal Myanmar immigrants to Kuala Lumpur. The Myanmar immigrants entered the country illegally in Kampung Pohon Tanjong here," he said.

He said police were investigating the tonto for attempted murder.