A HIJACKER was shot dead after he resisted arrest and stabbed a police officer.
The hijacking took place in Mariannridge on Thursday, 14 January in Scorpio Place when the driver of a white Toyota Hilux was approached by an unknown man who wanted to hire the vehicle.
The man threatened the driver with a knife and fled the scene with the vehicle.
At around 2.50pm, members of the Mariannhill SAPS were doing their normal patrol duties when they received a complaint of a hijacking.The police spotted the vehicle in Thornwood Road, Mariannhill and gave chase. The man eventually stopped the vehicle and the police approached him. The suspect resisted arrest, produced a knife and lunged at the policeman.
“The member produced his service pistol and fired a warning shot next to the suspect who kept on lunging at the member and the man, believed to be in his late 20s, was then fatally shot,” said Major Thulani Zwane.
The police officer sustained a stab wound to the stomach and was taken to hospital for medical attention.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, has praised the officers for bravery and consistency in following up all leads which ultimately yielded tremendous results. “We again warn criminals that the police will overcome any resistance to effect arrests and will not hesitate to decisively defend themselves when attacked in the execution of their duties,” stated Lieutenant General Ngobeni.
