Midrand car thieves caught in Sandton after helicopter chase

On the morning, two men allegedly stole a Volkswagen Golf from a VW dealership in Midrand. Soon after their escape a chase ensued with the police dispatching a helicopter to track the culprits.

The suspects drove into the Woodmead Retail Mart with the police helicopter pursuing. A sniper in the helicopter shot at the car three times until the vehicle stopped and the two suspects ran into the centre.

Norman Makgalemele, building manager of the centre said, “I closed the gates of the centre when the two men came in and locked them in. I opened up to let the police in and handle the situation. The one man went into Floor Direct and the other went into Diesel. There were five police cars surrounding the building and they quickly entered the building to search for the two criminals.”

A search through the shopping mall began with the entire area closed off to the public. Makgalemele said that the police apprehended one of the suspects hiding in Floor Direct but couldn’t find the second suspect in Diesel. He added that as they took the first suspect out of the store. He then identified his partner to the police, who discovered he had changed into different clothes in the Diesel outlet in order to escape arrest.

The suspects were arrested by the Midrand police and were held at the scene as officers performed a full inspection of the stolen vehicle. The public gathered around to praise the police for their swift response and said they handled situation in a professional manner.