Murder suspects crash into Johor palace gate while high on drugs

JOHOR BARU: A man who was driving under the influence of drugs has been arrested after crashing into the front gate of Istana Besar and two other vehicles here.

Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said that a three-vehicle accident, happened at 5.28am on Friday (Oct 27) at KM2.8 Jalan Skudai, Pantai Lido here.

"A foreigner in his 20s was heading towards Skudai from Johor Baru town when he lost control of the car and skidded to the opposite lane at a junction. There were two other passengers in the car.

"The car also crashed into two other vehicles and the front gate of Istana Besar," he said in a statement.

He added that a urine test on the suspect found that he tested positive for methamphetamine.

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"The suspect and two other passengers in the car suffered some light injuries while the other two drivers were not injured.

"The front gate of the palace was also damaged in the accident," he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

The accident is linked to an earlier report involving the arrest of three individuals under the influence of drugs believed to be suspects in a murder case.

It was earlier reported that the police have arrested three individuals, two Singaporeans and a local woman believed to be involved in the murder of a 25-year-old man.

"At about 3.41am on Friday (Oct 27), we received information from the public about a fight involving sharp objects that had occurred in the Johor Baru area, which resulted in the death of a local man.

"Based on preliminary investigation, we found stab marks on the victim's chest, stomach, ribcage, shoulder, and back as well as wounds on his fingers and cheek.

"We are still investigating the cause of the fight," he said in a statement here.

He added that the police later detected the three suspects in a car along Jalan Tanjung Puteri here.

"While attempting to locate them, we found a car in a suspicious manner.

"When the police tried to make further checks on the vehicle, the driver sped off until Jalan Tun Dr Ismail before losing control and skidded near the Istana Besar," he said.

The case is also being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drug Act.