Mozambican man shot in blue light chase in Mbombela
Two suspects in a vehicle fitted with blue lights fired several shots on the victims and chased them from i'langa Mall to near Sonpark.
A Mozambican man, Paul del Ré, sustained a shot in his left leg when he and his companion were chased by a VW Polo with blue lights from i’langa Mall to near Sonpark just after 20:40 on January 25.
Del Ré said his friend was driving their Kia SUV with a Mozambican registration number and saw two suspects who shot at their vehicle without warning, and started chasing after them on Samora Machel Drive and the R40.
“We noticed the car was following us when we left i’langa after our dinner, driving back to the hotel. The suspects flickered the blue lights attached to the grille and demanded us to stop as they trailed us. They fired several shots at us. One hit me coming through the passenger door,” he said.
ALSO READ: Hit-and-run accused’s trial continues in Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court
Del Ré said they managed to stop at Sonpark when the suspects had fled.
He said the suspects wore yellow and orange reflective jackets, they type usually worn by police, and one of the shooters wore blue medical cloves.
“We knew they could not be the police when we saw the gloves, which gave us more reason not to stop.
“Divergent Ops responded to us at the fuel station at Sonpark while I was treated by paramedics from ER24. We tried to get help from people in that area, without luck, and no police members responded to the scene. The medics transported me to the hospital and the security company escorted my companion to the hotel with our car.”
ALSO READ: Stats show spike in festive season Mpumalanga road fatalities
Del Ré, the vice president of the Automóvel and Touring Clube de Moçambique, and his friend had settled in Mbombela and were set to continue their travels to Swartkop in Pretoria on January 26.
Juandré Rautenbach of Divergent Ops said, “We are suspecting a criminal syndicate operating in police uniforms. However, we cannot confirm if the suspects were in a full police uniform. Further investigations continue.”
Lowvelder has sent a media query to the police and a provincial police spokesperson, Captain Magonseni Nkosi, said he would respond to it soon.
