BANTING, MALAYSIA: Police arrested five robbers, including a woman, early yesterday after they tried to ram their vehicle into a patrol car.

The gang had gone on a crime spree on Wednesday night, striking at several convenience stores.

After their last job here, a team from the Kuala Langat serious crimes division spotted the car, a Proton Iswara, and tried several times to flag it down. Instead, the driver led the team on a high-speed chase.

A roadblock was mounted and when the suspects came to it, they attempted to ram one of the patrol cars blocking the way.

This forced police to open fire, causing the suspects' vehicle to veer off the road and come to a halt. The suspects, aged between 20 and 30, were arrested.

A source said the suspects were believed to be high on drugs and urine samples were taken from them for testing.

He said police found numerous cartons of cigarettes and RM1,000 in the car.

Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Hasnan Hassan confirmed the arrests.