A robbery and hijacking suspect from Alexandra who was arrested last week on the N1 freeway after a shootout with the police was remanded in custody by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court pending further investigation.
The 35-year-old was charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances, the attempted murder of policemen, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and illegal firearms.
The accused will appear in court again on 30 August for his bail application. The ongoing investigation will also determine if he is linked to other crimes.
The incident was initially reported on in the Sandton Chronicle article, Two suspects injured in N1 Rivonia shootout on 18 August.
The court heard that his accomplice, also from Alex, is in a critical condition and under police guard at Tembisa Hospital from wounds sustained during the shootout.
The incident was triggered when police, who were patrolling William Nicol Drive, tried to wave down the driver of a Toyota Rav4 which had been reported as stolen in July in Edenvale. However, the driver sped off and onto the highway and a shootout ensued. The vehicle came to a stop between the Rivonia off-ramp and Buccleuch interchange after hitting a metal barrier. This brought the busy midday traffic to a standstill for a while.
Investigations revealed that the suspects were allegedly involved in a robbery in Roodepoort which was reported earlier the same day. In that incident, a couple was stopped and allegedly held up and had their jewellery, watches, a handbag with undisclosed contents and vehicle keys stolen.
Their items were recovered from the vehicle and handed back to them.
Two illegal guns, suspected to have been used in the shootout and robbery, were also found. The vehicle was taken to the police pound.
Read also: UPDATE: Two suspects injured in N1 Rivonia shootout (VIDEO)
