A drug bust in Taichung turned violent when a suspect tried to ram his way past officers, ending with a man shot and wounded — a sign of how far Taiwan's synthetic drug problem has escalated.

• Police moved in on a drug operation in Taichung's east district and a 44-year-old man tried to drive through them to escape.
• Officers smashed a window with a baton and fired a warning shot, then shot at the car's tires 16 times when he kept ramming.
• The man was hit in the buttocks and taken to hospital; nobody else in the car, on the force, or nearby was hurt.
• Inside the car police found etomidate vape pods — the drug known locally as "zombie" pods — along with a man and a woman who were detained.

Outlook: The three face charges for drug offenses and obstructing police, and the case adds to pressure on Taiwan to crack down harder on etomidate vapes.