KOTA KINABALU: A 35-year-old woman led police on a high-speed car chase, ramming into several vehicles and a roadblock across the city, before being arrested after police fired several shots at her stolen vehicle.

       After nearly an hour of intense chase over 15km from the city centre here to Mangatal, police managed to smash the driver’s side window to overpower and arrest her in Jalan Sepanggar on the outskirts of the city yesterday.

       Kota Kinabalu city police deputy chief Supt George Abdul Rakman said the woman was being detained under Section 307 for attempted murder as she had injured a police sergeant while reversing the vehicle to escape arrest.

       “She is suspected to be a drug addict,” he said, adding that the policeman suffered slight injuries from a fall into a drain.

       No further details were available on the background of the woman who is reportedly from Kampung Sembulan here.

       Based on witnesses’ reports and viral videos, the woman is believed to have rammed into at least three vehicles, including a motorcycle ridden by a postman, during the caper across the city that ended at around 11am.

       Supt George said the Kota Kinabalu district operation centre received a call at 9.59am from a man who said he had spotted his black Toyota Hilux, which was stolen on Saturday, being driven by the woman at Jalan Tun Fuad near the Filipino market area.

       He added that two mobile police patrols in the area were immediately alerted and spotted the car along the Likas Bay coastal road roundabout before attempting to stop it.

       “The policemen used a loud hailer ordering the driver to stop the car. However, the woman just drove off and rammed into other vehicles to escape,” he said.

       Supt George said other police units, including traffic policemen, came to help in the chase and set up a roadblock at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah junction using traffic cones.

       “The woman drove through the cones to flee towards Jalan Sepanggar.

       “As she approached the Tebobon traffic light intersection along Jalan Sepanggar, the suspect was caught in heavy traffic but that did not deter her from making her escape as she began to use the emergency lane.

       “But she could not move as the traffic had clogged up in the area,” Supt George said, adding that police personnel immediately approached the woman and vehicle from the rear.

       “When she realised our men were approaching her, she reversed her vehicle at high speed.

       “One of our police sergeants was hit and fell into a drain,” he said.

       In a bid to stop the woman, another policeman fired several shots at the car tyre as well as part of its windscreen, immobilising the vehicle.

       Policemen then smashed the car window before arresting the woman, said Supt George.

       Police are checking on the number of vehicles that were hit during the woman’s dramatic getaway bid.