One of the suspects at the scene of the shootout in Verulam, KZN. Image: Twitter/@_ArriveAlive
Two hijackers were injured after being involved in a shootout with police in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal on Friday night.
Arrive Alive reports that the suspects hijacked a white Toyota Hilux bakkie from Cato Manor, which had a tracking device installed. After the bakkie’s tracking device was activated, and indicated the vehicle was travelling towards Verulam, Tracker contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) for further assistance to chase the suspects.
SAPS were also in pursuit of the suspects, finding the bakkie’s signal and pursuing it onto the R102 highway.
During the chase, suspects opened fire on police, who retaliated. The hijackers lost control of the bakkie and crashed into a median at an intersection in Verulam. They then attempted to flee on foot, while still shooting at police.
Image: Twitter/@_ArriveAlive
Both hijackers were shot, and police recovered a 9mm pistol at the scene. The second firearm, thought to have been thrown into a bush during the chase, is still being searched for by police.
Image: Twitter/@_ArriveAlive
No police officers were injured during the shootout, despite suspects shooting at the police vehicle.
The suspects were transported to hospital under police guard.
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