THREE armed men hijacked an unsuspecting motorist after he pulled over to take a call on his cell phone in Craigieburn on Monday afternoon, April 7. The men held up the victim with a 9mm pistol.
A shootout ensued which saw one suspect shot dead, and another taken into custody. A third suspect is still on the run.
The hijackers tried to force the driver into the back of the car, but he managed to escape and fled. The hijackers raced off in the stolen Toyota Cressida, taking the N2 at Umkomaas and heading towards Durban.
Umzinto SAPS K9 Unit and Umkomaas SAPS officer responded and began searching for the vehicle. Officers didn’t have to look very far as the suspects had crashed the vehicle only a few hundred meters down the highway.
The suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot through the bushes towards Sun Park. Police gave chase and the suspects opened fire on the pursuing officers. Police returned fire, killing one of the suspects. Another suspect was taken into custody and appeared in the Scottburgh Magistrates’ Court last week Monday.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) was called to the scene to investigate the suspect’s death and an inquest docket was opened for investigation.
