Wanted armed robber fatally shot in early morning gunfight

BUKIT MERTAJAM: A 31-year-old man wanted for armed robbery was killed in a shootout with police at Jalan Berjaya here early this morning.
The man was spotted behaving suspiciously inside his vehicle at Jalan Song Ban Kheng by police patrolling the area around 1.25am.
The officers tried to stop the vehicle but the suspect sped off in the direction of Kampung Baru around 3km from Jalan Song Ban Keng.
The police however, managed to stop the vehicle at Jalan Berjaya.
The suspect then proceeded to fire several shots at the police sparking an impromptu gunfight ending with the death of the suspect.
Penang CID chief SAC Zainol Samah said initial investigations revealed the man was on wanted the list for allegedly robbing a gold trader of RM30,000.
"He also has a prior record for armed robbery," he said.
Upon inspecting the suspect's vehicle, the authorities found a bag containing the suspect's personal identification documents, gloves, two masks, a knife, and 16 packets of syabu.
A black pistol with live bullets and spent bullet casings was also recovered.
The suspect's body has been sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital for post-mortem.