TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Shortly before noon on Monday (Aug. 22), two police officers in Tainan were attacked and killed while pursuing a man suspected of stealing a vehicle.

According to CNA, Fire Department officials reported an accident on Beishan Road in Tainan’s Annan District at 11:48 a.m. They reported that two officers from Tainan’s Second Precinct were seriously injured at the scene.

Both officers suffered cuts to their necks and hands. They were both rushed to separate hospitals for emergency medical treatment but were pronounced dead due to their injuries.

Local police are pursuing leads to capture the suspect in the horrific attack. The officers, 36 year-old Tu Ming-cheng (凃明誠) and 27 year-old Tsao Jui-chieh (曹瑞傑), were reportedly pursuing a stolen vehicle at the time of the attack.

CNA reports that their police car was damaged in a crash, but that there was no trace of the attacker on the scene when first responders arrived. The Tainan Police Department announced that the suspect fled the scene on a stolen scooter, and also stole one of the officer's firearms.

According to a report from UDN, the suspect was identified as a man named Chen Wei-chieh (陳偉捷). Police throughout southern Taiwan are on the lookout for Chen and the stolen vehicle.

The Ministry of the Interior, Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) and National Police Commissioner, Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭), are traveling to Tainan to learn more about the ongoing investigation, reports LTN.