A 52-year-old man originally from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania has been arrested following an attempted house robbery, high-speed chase, and shooting incident today (Tuesday).
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received an urgent call for assistance after suspects in a white Hyundai i20 forcefully derailed a driveway gate on Thompson Lane in Lotusville – KZN. The perpetrators then broke into the residence by forcing open a window. Their activity was interrupted by a vigilant 17-year-old boy who was home alone at the time. The teenager raised the alarm, prompting the suspects to flee to their getaway vehicle parked on the roadside.
A female Reaction Officer and her crew, responding to the distress call, observed the suspects hastily boarding the Hyundai i20. Two of the men were visibly armed, with firearms tucked in their waistbands. The Officer promptly requested additional backup as the suspects sped off.
Backup Reaction Officers engaged in a high-speed pursuit through Ottawa – KZN. The suspects recklessly navigated the roads and traffic. The suspects then entered an unpaved road and continued travelling at a high rate of speed before losing control and crashing the vehicle onto an embankment.
Upon abandoning the wrecked car, two suspects opened fire on pursuing Officers who returned fire. A Tanzanian national who has lived in South Africa for the past 20 years was apprehended while three of his accomplices fled in different directions. The apprehended suspect was in possession of an Asylum Seeker Temporary Visa. Housebreaking tools were recovered from the abandoned vehicle. The remaining perpetrators are confirmed to be Burundian nationals.
Despite assistance from the Road Traffic Inspectorate, who were operating a nearby roadblock, the remaining suspects evaded arrest. The suspect in custody was detained at SAPS Verulam in KZN.
Reaction Officers were not injured during the exchange of gunfire.
