Police said they were forced to open fire when the driver ignored instructions to stop, Bernama reported.

Batu Gajah police chief Roy Suhaimi Sarif said the driver, a 39-year-old woman, had acted out of fear and was also found to be emotionally distressed.

He said she did not have a criminal record and had tested negative for drugs. “Police did not find suspicious items in the vehicle,” he said.

Police had tried to stop the vehicle, a white Toyota Innova, when it was seen to be driven in a suspicious manner in Ipoh at 2.30pm yesterday.

The driver was instructed to stop but instead sped off to Jalan Gopeng towards Jalan Ipoh-Kampar before reaching a dead end near Malim Nawar.

“The driver then rammed the police vehicles blocking the road and even tried to hit a policeman. Police then fired a shot at the back left tyre of the vehicle but the suspect managed to flee,” Suhaimi said in a statement today.

He said five police vehicles were damaged after being hit by the suspect’s car.

The chase ended on the Lumut highway when the car suffered engine damage and a punctured tyre.

The driver has been remanded for five days.