Shootout with police leads to arrest of alleged Taxi Gang member
One member part of the 'Taxi Gang' who has been terrorising Mogale City commuters has been arrested.
Police have arrested a man believed to be part of a group preying on stranded commuters at night in Kagiso.
According to Kagiso Police Station Commander Brigadier Nyelisani Mabatha, the man was apprehended by members of the West Rand Flying Squad.
Recently, police in Kagiso warned members of the public about a white Toyota Quantum with four male occupants who picked up people and later robbed them using knives and also firearms.
• Read the initial article here: K’dorp’s crime hot spots – residents need to know
In one incident, a victim was picked up in central Kagiso by the white Quantum with four male occupants and then later dumped on Ontdekkers Road. The victim was robbed of his phone and cash by a perpetrator who pretended to be a passenger.
Then at 21:30 on July 27, a couple boarded a taxi near Chief Mogale Hall to Swaneville. Mabatha said the ‘taxi’ with six male occupants later took a different direction, driving on the R28 (Main Reef Road) to the Azaadville main gate where it was parked and the victims were robbed. Two of their cellphones and a handbag with cash were taken at gunpoint.
“Members of the Flying Squad were patrolling on the R28 next to Rietvallei when they noticed a suspicious-looking white Toyota Quantum parked in the dark next to the gate. Police approached the Quantum and the perpetrators jumped out of their vehicle and fled in different directions. They started to open fire at the police. One of the perpetrators was shot and wounded in the leg during the shootout. He was taken to hospital under police guard and later detained at Kagiso Police Station following his discharge.”
Mabatha concluded the arrested perpetrator is facing multiple charges including attempted murder and armed robbery. Five more perpetrators are still on the run.
