The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that at least one police officer sustained injuries while three carjacking suspects were shot and killed during a gunfight with KwaZulu-Natal police at the T section in Umlazi on Friday.
According to the police, the suspects hijacked a vehicle from a woman at R Section in Umlazi, and the police response led to a high-speed chase from R Section to T Section, during which the suspects opened fire towards the police, forcing them to retaliate.
“Three suspects were shot and fatally wounded in the shootout. A police officer was shot in the arm and is in a stable condition. The suspects were found in possession of three firearms as well as the hijacked vehicle. The hijacked victim was not harmed,” reads the SAPS statement.
In an unrelated event, OR Tambo District police arrested three suspects aged 17 to 27 and recovered a hijacked courier vehicle near Mhlabeni Forest in Libode on Thursday.
According to police, the courier vehicle was hijacked in Lujecweni while en route to Ngqeleni from Mthatha.
Police report reads, “A silver grey polo with no registration plates blocked its way with three occupants, hijacking it. It was driven towards Libode next to Mhlabeni forest where it was stripped. A passerby became suspicious and alerted Libode police who swiftly rushed to the scene being backed up by Mthatha K9 members.”
The police arrested the three suspects and charged them with possession of a suspected stolen vehicle. One suspect faces an additional charge of possessing an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The silver-grey polo used to commit the crime was impounded.
