Two men hit in police shootout after being caught cruising in stolen car

Two men hit during a shootout with police were treated in a Durban hospital under police guard after being caught cruising in a stolen vehicle.

The pair face charges of attempted murder, possession of an unlicenced firearm and ammunition after exchanging gunfire with the authorities in Umlazi on Thursday.

Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said officers from the provincial task team had been conducting an operation in P Section when they spotted a hijacked vehicle with three occupants in Siqunga Road.

“They instructed them to stop but the occupants stopped the vehicle and fled on foot. The driver, 20, was found inside the vehicle and was immediately arrested.”

The man appeared in the local magistrate’s court on Friday for possession of suspected stolen property. The vehicle he was driving was hijacked in Merebank in June, police found.

“Police chased the fleeing suspects who opened fire on them and a shootout ensued on Msingane Road. Both suspects, aged 29 and 30, sustained gunshot wounds,” Mbele said.

A revolver with three rounds of ammunition was recovered from the suspects. Mbele said all three would also be linked to the carjacking case opened at Wentworth police station.

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