Kaohsiung: A 35-year-old man suspected of illegal drug use who rammed a police cruiser in central Kaohsiung and fled early Sunday was taken into custody hours later in Tainan, authorities said. The Kaohsiung City Police Department’s Sinsing Precinct reported that officers on patrol noticed a vehicle illegally parked on the corner of Mingxing Street and Nantai Road at 3:25 a.m., with two men inside acting suspiciously.

According to Focus Taiwan, officers approached the car and found it filled with strong-smelling smoke. They succeeded in getting one of the occupants, a 17-year-old male in the passenger seat, to step out for questioning. The car’s driver, a 35-year-old man surnamed Huang, initially pretended to comply with the officers’ instructions before starting the car’s ignition and attempting to flee.

As Huang fled, he reversed his vehicle into the front right side of a police car and knocked an officer to the ground. Officers fired six shots at the back tires of Huang’s vehicle but were unable to stop him from escaping. The officer injured in the incident later received stitches for a cut on his left forearm.

Kaohsiung police continued tracking Huang’s vehicle using technological means and notified Tainan City police as he fled in that direction. At 11:35 a.m., officers ambushed and arrested Huang at a hideout in Tainan’s Yongkang District, seizing an undisclosed quantity of ketamine. Kaohsiung police stated that Huang would undergo a drug test to determine whether he had been driving under the influence.

Following questioning, Huang will be turned over to prosecutors on suspicion of offenses against public safety and other crimes.