A resident helped the SAPS to catch hijackers in Yeoville on Friday last week.
The Yeoville SAPS spokesperson, Constable Thabo Malatji, said on Thursday a resident saw four men hijacking a car on the corner of Web and Joe Slovo streets shortly after 7pm.
He said the victim opened a case of hijacking.
“The following day, shortly after 7pm, a resident saw the same group trying to hijack another car but the driver was able to speed off. That is when he came to the station,” said Const Malatji.
Police officers went to the intersection and found the men fitting the description.
“One of the men was found in possession of a toy gun. The men were charged with hijacking, while the man in possession of the toy gun received an additional charge of being in possession of a dangerous weapon,” said Const Malatji.
Const Malatji commended the resident who reported the hijacking and the attempted hijacking to the police.
“We are grateful and encourage residents to not shy away but to report any criminal activities they witness. We urge residents to continue doing this so that we can fight this together. The moment the community stops reporting crime, is the time we lose the fight against crime,” he said.
Const Malatji dissuaded people from buying toy guns for their children or carrying them in public.
“There are lots of crimes committed with toy guns. Some of these toy guns look exactly like real guns. And it is not easy to distinguish whether they are real or not. That is why one may be charged for being in possession of a dangerous weapon if found. This also depends on the time and the place the person is found with that toy gun,” he said.
