Police have arrested the driver suspected of leaving the scene of a crash that killed two people on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Penang Bridge interchange early on Thursday.
The 23-year-old man, who was driving a sport utility vehicle (SUV), turned himself in at the Timur Laut district police headquarters at about 1pm and was detained, The Star reported.
Timur Laut OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Rozak Muhammad said the suspect is a local man from Bukit Jambul. A urine screening test found no traces of drugs in his system, NST wrote, and police will apply for a remand order on Friday to give investigators more time.
“The SUV driver will be brought for remand tomorrow for further investigation,” he said in a statement.
A remand order allows police to keep a suspect in custody while inquiries continue. It is granted by a magistrate, and the suspect is brought to court for the application.
The victims, a 22-year-old man and his 20-year-old female pillion rider, were travelling from central George Town towards the Penang Bridge at about 4am. At the fork leading to the bridge and Universiti Sains Malaysia, their motorcycle was hit from behind by a vehicle that did not stop, and both died at the scene.
Post-mortem examinations found the motorcyclist died of severe head and neck injuries, while the woman died of severe head injuries, police said. Both victims were from Kedah.
The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which covers causing death by reckless or dangerous driving. A first conviction under the section carries a jail term of five to 10 years, a fine of between RM20,000 and RM50,000, and disqualification from driving for at least five years.
Police had earlier described the vehicle as unidentified and appealed to witnesses to come forward with information. The arrest came within hours of the 4am crash, after the driver arrived at the district police headquarters in the afternoon.
The fatal crash happened on the same morning as a separate collision in Penang, in which four people were injured when a car and an oil tanker were involved in a crash. Both cases remain under investigation.
The expressway, named after former chief minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, is the main link between George Town and the Penang Bridge, and carries heavy traffic into the early hours.
