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By News24 Wire

Wire Service


King Shaka airport car thieves killed during shootout with cops

Two men who stole a car at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban on Tuesday night were killed during a shootout with police.


According to police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele, police officers from the Durban Central K9 Unit acted on intelligence that a vehicle stolen at the airport was travelling on the N2 freeway at around 22:00.

“The said vehicle was seen travelling on the N2 south in the Bellair policing precinct. The police officers intercepted the vehicle but they were met by a hail of bullets,” Mbele said.

“During the exchange of gunfire, two suspects, believed to be in their 30s, were fatally wounded. An illegal firearm with four rounds of ammunition was found next to one of the deceased suspects. The third suspect managed to escape and is still being sought by police. The stolen vehicle was also recovered.”

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula expressed his relief that the police officers escaped the shootout unarmed.

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