Police shot and killed an alleged motorcycle thief during a chase in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen Wednesday, local police said.

Police arrested two other people, but a fourth suspect fled, the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau said in a statement.

A man surnamed Chen claimed he rode his motorcycle to a hotel in the Tianliao Village to meet a friend at about 4 p.m., said the statement. A white minibus arrived at the hotel at about 4:40 p.m. and three people got out, put his motorcycle in the back of the minibus and left.

Chen and a hotel security guard immediately called the police and officers and civilian police assistants patrolling nearby gave chase, the statement said.

The suspects had to abandon their vehicle after police shot the rear part of the minibus twice, and they ran to a hill, where one person was arrested shortly after.

Police arrested another person almost at the peak of the hill, but the other knife-wielding suspect continued to run, said the police statement.

Finding no way to escape at the top of the hill, he injured two civilian police assistants with his knife.

The police fired into the air as a warning and shouted "We're policemen, please drop the knife", but the man continued to attack the police officers, so the officers had to shoot him, said the statement. The man was shot in the chest.

According to the police statement, a fourth suspect escaped.

After a field investigation, procurators from the Bao'an District People's Procuratorate in Shenzhen declared the shooting lawful, the statement said.

Police are still investigating the theft.

(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2008)