The Johannesburg Flying Squad made a breakthrough when they arrested three suspects and recovered four firearms, and three hijacked vehicles.
This after a truck loaded with electronic equipment was hijacked in Midrand at about 1pm on 1 August. The suspects were arrested after a shootout and high-speed chase in Tembisa.
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It is alleged that the suspects, travelling in two vehicles, a BMW and an Audi, confronted the truck driver, his crew and a guard who was escorting them. They held them up and hijacked the truck.
They then proceeded to Hempton Road in Glen Austin where they offloaded the equipment onto an Isuzu bakkie, shot the guard and tied up the driver and his crew. They abandoned the truck and Audi.
Members of the Johannesburg Flying Squad spotted the suspects driving the BMW near Phumlani Mall where a high-speed chase ensued. The suspects fired several shots at the police officers.
The suspects’ vehicle was cornered in the Winnie Mandela informal settlement where the hijackers tried to flee. Three of the six or seven suspects were arrested and four firearms were seized.
It was discovered that both vehicles, the BMW and Audi, were hijacked in Sunnyside and Sandton.
The guard who was shot in the lower body was taken to hospital. No police officers were injured during the shootout.
The suspects are believed to be members of a syndicate involved in truck hijackings and they may be linked to other more serious and violent cases.
Police have launched a manhunt for the additional group of three to four suspects who were not apprehended and managed to escape in the Isuzu bakkie loaded with the stolen electronic goods.
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“This is a major breakthrough that will have a positive impact in dealing with syndicates involved in the hijacking of trucks and dealing in stolen goods in Gauteng,” said Gauteng police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Deliwe de Lange.
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