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Hail of lead ends car chase

A wild car chase through the streets of downtown Taipei ended when the drug-addled driver of a vehicle that sped away from a police stop died from his wounds after officers fired a hail of bullets at his vehicle in a running engagement.

The drama enthralled the city's residents, as much of the chase was caught on television by a camera crew covering major political protests near the scene of the action.

The chase began when police received a tip-off of a suspicious vehicle near the protests that might be carrying firearms, said Hsueh Ching-lien (薛清蓮), the director of Wanhua Police District of Taipei City Police Department. A patrol car was sent to locate the vehicle and began following it.

At 9:20am, police officers in their cruiser ordered Chung Chang-hai (仲長海) -- a convicted petty theft and drug user -- to stop his car to be searched near Zhongshan S Road and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, only blocks away from the Presidential Office.

After initially pulling over, Chung refused to exit his vehicle and allow police to search his car. As he accelerated away from the scene, one of the officers, who had been standing beside the car, fired several shots at the rear right tire of the vehicle.

The incident was captured on film by a TV crew.

Police then began to chase Chung. Several patrol cars joined in the chase, as did the TV crew, which kept filming as the police fired their pistols toward Chung's car out of the open windows of their cruisers.

Although Chung's tires were flat after being shot, he continued to drive, ramming police cars a number of times.

His car finally rolled to a stop about half an hour after the chase began at Kangding Road, Wanhua District. Police rushed the vehicle and pulled Chung out of the car, but found he was mortally wounded.

Chung died in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.

"Police fired a total of 51 shots during the shooting, and five shots hit Chung Chang-hai in his stomach and legs," Hsueh said.

Police did not find any weapons in Chung's car, only glue that he had apparently been sniffing.

Some TV commentators criticized the handling of the incident, saying police had fired too many shots.

They also said the police had endangered the public by firing so many shots near the ongoing sit-in demonstration aimed at ousting President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Authorities said they were looking into the incident.

"We are investigating whether the officers involved in the chase went too far in their handling of the incident," Huang said.

He said that Chung, 43, had a criminal record of theft and drug use.
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