Picture: Supplied
Police in KwaZulu-Natal have arrested two suspects after a jewellery store was robbed at a shopping centre in Chatsworth on Friday afternoon.
An unknown number of heavily armed suspects stormed into the jewellery store and fired shots, one of which injured a civilian in the face.
Police responded and a shootout ensued during a chase.
One Metro Police officer was shot and injured on the leg. Relentless police officers pursued the suspects and two of them were arrested in Umlazi, said Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
They were found in possession of two bloodstained getaway vehicles.
“A manhunt is underway for the other suspects who managed to escape. Investigations are also ongoing to ascertain if the suspects are part of a group that robbed a jewellery store in Phoenix a week ago in an incident where a police officer was also shot and injured,” said Netshiunda.
Also on Friday, a police officer was injured after he was shot at by suspects during a shootout which left three suspected hijackers fatally wounded in Umlazi.
The suspects had just hijacked a woman of her vehicle at R Section (Umlazi) and police responded swiftly.
“A high-speed chase ensued and at T Section, the suspects opened fire towards the police and in self-defence, a shootout ensued,” said Netshiunda.
The suspects were found in possession of three firearms as well as the hijacked vehicle.
The hijacked victim was not harmed.
This comes as different sections of society debate the rising number of criminals who die at the hands of officers in KwaZulu-Natal.
National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has defended police, saying they will continue to defend themselves from criminals who shoot at them first.
WATCH: Police arrest five after deadly CIT heist shootout
“We have listened to the different views that continue to be expressed by ordinary citizens and experts within the field of policing in relation to the number of suspects that have been shot and killed by police in KwaZulu-Natal in recent months,” said Masemola this week.
“It is important to clarify that, our mandate as the SAPS is to bring perpetrators to justice by arresting them, but quite often in pursuit of arresting these often dangerous and heavily armed criminals, our officers are more than often met with heavy gunfire and that leaves our officers with no option but to defend themselves and the communities that they serve.
“If criminals carry water guns, we will also respond with shotguns but when criminals fire with live ammunition, we have no choice but to defend ourselves and the communities that we serve. With this said, we will continue to use force that is proportional to the threat.”
READ MORE: ‘We have no choice but to defend ourselves’: Masemola on police shootouts
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