Three suspects have been shot and killed during a shootout between members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and a group of armed robbers in the Bushbuckridge area this morning July 1.
During a joint crime intelligence driven operation, comprising of members of the SAPS Limpopo Tracking Teams, Mpumalanga Tracking Teams and Bushbuckridge Tactical Response Teams, members responded to a Cash-In–Transit heist in progress at a Post Office in Bushbuckridge.
“As the group of armed robbers were busy off-loading money from the Fidelity cash vehicle outside the Post Office where they had held the security officers hostage, the multidisciplinary team intercepted them leading to a high speed chase which led to a shootout between the suspects and the police,” Brigadier Vish Naidoo said.
Read: Fatal shooting in Tzaneen CBD
Three suspects were shot and killed. Another two suspects who were shot and wounded have been transported to a nearby health facility under police guard.
An unknown number of suspects fled the scene in a Toyota Hilux and a silver Mercedes Benz after they forcefully stopped passerby’s and thereafter hijacked them.
The Toyota Hilux was later recovered abandoned near Hazyview.
During the shootout a police member sustained a gunshot wound.
“The member has been taken to the nearest health facility where he is receiving medical treatment,” Naido said.
More in this weeks edition of Hoedspruit Herald.