Police in KwaZulu-Natal said they have arrested a suspect who was seen in dramatic dashcam footage that went viral late last year allegedly attempting to hijack a vehicle in the province.
Police said another suspect was also arrested in connection with the alleged attempted hijacking.
In the dashcam footage, a man can be seen drawing his firearm and pointing it at the occupants of a vehicle in KwaZulu-Natal.
The driver escapes by reversing back down the hill while screaming.
On Tuesday, Police provincial spokesperson, Captain Nqobile Gwala said the two suspects, aged 20 and 33, are in custody after they were arrested by eThekwini Inner South Cluster Task Team and Montclair police on Saturday.
“They appeared yesterday in the Durban Magistrate’s Court and were remanded until 13 January 2020,” Gwala said.
She said it is alleged that on 15 December 2019 at 1 pm, a 45-year-old male was with his family in their vehicle on the corner of South Coast Road and Himalaya Drive when two armed males pointed them with firearms and shouted at them to jump out of the vehicle.
“The complainant managed to reverse and drove off then the suspects fled. A case of attempted carjacking was opened in the Montclair police station for investigation. The video of the incident went viral on social media.
“An intelligence-driven operation was conducted which led to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect who was in possession of a firearm and a 33-year-old suspect. They were both arrested in Lamontville and charged for attempted carjacking whereas a 20-year-old suspect was also charged for possession of an unlicensed firearm. A 33-year-old suspect was also linked to a Montclair carjacking case where a motorist was hijacked of his vehicle on 22 November 2019 in the Montclair policing area.”
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula commended the officers on the arrests and urged the community to ensure that they report criminal activities to the police as soon as the crime is committed, so that the police can immediately commence with investigations and bring the perpetrators to book.
Meanwhile, an unknown number of suspects allegedly bombed a cash-in-transit vehicle in the province on Monday.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Brenda Muridili said the incident reportedly took place just before 7pm on the R56 road from Eshowe to Richards Bay, near Gingindlovu.
Muridili said the suspects approached the cash-in-transit vehicle from behind while driving in their own car and started shooting at the vehicle.
The cash-in-transit vehicle eventually came to a halt and the suspects pointed firearms at its driver ordering him to jump out of the vehicle, Muridili said.
The suspects then allegedly bombed the vehicle, she added.
Muridili said the suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of money, escaping in a white double-cab bakkie.
No injuries were reported.
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