A drug-related traffic stop in New Taipei turned violent overnight when a driver rammed a police officer and was shot, in an outcome that ended without any officer being hurt.

• Officers on drug-driving patrol in Xinzhuang tried to stop a suspicious car; the driver sped off and turned into a dead-end alley.
• Cornered, he threw the car into reverse and drove straight at the officers, nearly hitting one of them.
• A second officer fired six shots at the car door and tires to force it to stop.
• One bullet hit the driver in the chest but lodged in bone, and surgery saved his life; his female passenger was cut by broken glass when police smashed the window.
• Police found a first-grade narcotic — the sedative etomidate, sold in vape cartridges known locally as "zombie pods" — inside the car.

Outlook: Both occupants face charges including endangering public safety, obstructing officers, and drug offenses once the driver recovers.