Alert security officers on duty in the Swartkops police district noticed a silver Kia on the R334 with unknown passengers, and when they approached the vehicle, they came under fire.
It is alleged that at 13:10, the complainant and his passenger were traveling from Uitenhage in a Toyota Hilux bakkie after making a grocery run when they saw a silver Kia vehicle following them on the R334.
About seven suspects were in the vehicle, according to police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse Van Rensburg, and they forced him to halt in Addo Road near Monument Crossing by pointing a gun at him. The complainant and the driver were both forced out of the vehicle and searched. Three suspects forced them into the Kia before taking off in the Toyota Hilux.
“While the complainant and his passenger were in the Kia, they were approached by a private security company from Addo who enquired if everything was okay. One of the occupants fired a shot at the security officials and the driver then sped off. A high-speed chase ensued, soon after the Kia stopped, and two suspects jumped out and ran into the bushes. The other three suspects aged between 25 and 31 were apprehended by the security officers. A 9mm firearm with ammunition was confiscated,” said Janse Van Rensburg.
The Kia car was seized by SAPS Swartkops, and an investigation is still going on. The Toyota Hilux bakkie that the complainant lost is still missing.
The suspects were brought before the Motherwell magistrate court on Monday of this week on charges of carjacking, attempted murder, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
In a separate carjacking, the victim was able to reclaim his vehicle with the help of a passing driver after the perpetrators were made to stop at the traffic lights.
The driver was allegedly asked to pick up a client on Ivy Street in Central on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at around 4pm, according to Janse Van Rensburg’s report on the incident. Four men entered the car and aimed a gun at the driver.
The driver was ejected from the vehicle when a fight broke out inside. He pursued the suspects down the M4 freeway when he was able to stop a passing vehicle. The suspects fled into the bushes after being forced to halt at the traffic lights at the Deal Party off-ramp behind other vehicles. A firearm belonging to the suspects and the car were found.
SAPS Humewood opened a case of carjacking, and an investigation was launched into the recovered firearm.
Ixhwele laseKZN noonyana balo ababulala indoda baza kufaka isicelo sebheyile