The man, who was riding a motorcycle, sped off after being told to stop.

The 10-minute chase ended when the suspect crashed his motorcycle at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park in Sepanggar.

It was learned that police had been tracking down the man for some time in connection with a string of high-profile house robberies in the Menggatal and Sepanggar areas.

This is the second shooting of a housebreaking suspect in slightly over a week. On Feb 5, city police shot and injured a robbery suspect who charged at them with a machete, also after a high-speed chase, in Menggatal.

Sabah deputy commissioner Razarudin Husain said police were investigating whether the suspects were connected and part of a bigger gang.

“We are trying to ascertain the identity of the suspect (who was shot dead) as no personal documentation was found on the man, believed to be in his 30s,” he told reporters at the city police headquarters here.

He said the man had tried to evade the cops after being spotted at about 2am by speeding into a secluded hilly area, but lost control of his motorcycle.

“Instead of surrendering, the suspect fired three times at the police. Our personnel shot back in self-defence,” he said, adding that the suspect was hit in the head and chest.

“We found a .38 revolver and several live bullets on him. Police also seized a machete and housebreaking tools while the motorcycle he was riding was previously reported stolen,” Razarudin said.