Teen busted for allegedly hijacking vehicle transporting schoolchildren 

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly hijacking a blue Toyota Avanza that was transporting pupils in Cape Town.

At 13:45 on Monday, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers were dispatched to a scene on the corner of Spine Road and the N2 in Khayelitsha, where there were reports of a hijacked vehicle and armed suspects.

“Whilst approaching, they observed from a distance that the suspects were offloading 17 school children on the N2,” City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said.

“When the suspects realised that officers were approaching, they fled into the bushes.”

The officers were able to arrest one person, who was identified by the victim of the hijacked vehicle. He was detained at Harare SAPS and faces charges of hijacking and kidnapping.

In an unrelated case later in the day, the Metro Police’s K9 officers arrested two people for the possession of a stolen vehicle and drugs in Bothasig.

Officers approached the vehicle at the Richmond shopping centre while the two people were sitting inside.

“With permission granted, the suspects and vehicle were searched which led the officers to find a mandrax tablet in one of the suspects’ possession. A further search of the vehicle revealed that it had been stolen in Milnerton earlier this month,” Metro police spokesperson Ruth Solomons said.

The two, aged 32 and 33, were arrested and detained at the Bothasig police station.