Ivory Park station commander, Brigadier David Ngcobo, has thanked the Ebony Park residents who caught three suspects who had just hijacked a car using a toy gun.
The trio, aged between 28 and 30, confronted a Kaalfontein resident who was sitting in his Audi on 23 January. Two of them ordered him out of his car at gunpoint, but the victim unexpectedly fought back. Two of the suspects fled the scene in the vehicle while the victim and the third perpetrator were tussling.
“The victim screamed during the scuffle with one of the robbers, and this alerted nearby residents who came out in numbers to assist the victim,” said Ivory Park Police Station spokesperson, Captain Bernard Matimulane.
He said that quick-witted residents had already blocked the road with stones, and when the hijackers came upon them, they drove into a wall trying to avoid them.
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“That is when the men were caught by the residents. A toy gun, which is believed to have been used during the hijacking, was found in the vehicle,” said Matimulane.
Police were called to the scene and the two suspects were arrested and detained at Ivory Park Police Station.
The third suspect, who was left behind while fighting the victim, was taken to hospital after, unfortunately, being assaulted by residents. The three suspects, all of whom are from Tembisa, are expected to appear in court.
“We have said it time and again that, faced with a united community, these criminals can be dealt with easily and without the need for any person to resort to mob justice,” said Ngcobo. “This [timely] intervention by the community should serve as an example to others in the area that, if the community and the police join hands, nothing is insurmountable.”
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