Two alleged armed robbers on their way to Wenchi to rob had been arrested by the Sunyani police at a police checkpoint at Yahima near Sunyani.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Kwaku Ayensu Opare Addo told the Ghana News Agency that the robbers, who were in a taxicab, arrived at the checkpoint with three occupants including the driver.
Two of the robbers were arrested and the police ordered the driver to open the boot of the cab but he reversed and drove towards Sunyani and in the melee one robber escaped.
Mr Opare Addo said a police vehicle chased the taxicab whose driver opened fire on the police.
The police returned fire and hit the taxi driver in the arm but he escaped and abandoned the vehicle on the Fiapre/Sunyani road.
The police made an announcement on all the three local radio stations and appealed to hospitals and clinics to report to the police anybody with gunshot wounds who might report for treatment.
He said following the announcement some young men came to the police station with the driver, bleeding profusely from the arm.
They told the police that they spotted the suspect at a private chemical shop at Baarko Niaba, a suburb of Sunyani, where he had gone to buy drugs.
Mr Opare Addo said police found in the abandoned taxi one pump action gun loaded with five rounds of ammunition, one Russian made shot gun, two foreign pistols, two face masks, pliers, scissors, knives and iron bars.