On 10 August 2017, police in Newlands East were conducting crime prevention duties in their area when they intercepted a VW Polo vehicle which was hijacked at Ntuzuma earlier in the day.
The vehicle with three occupants sped off when police approached them. Police then gave chase as the vehicle proceeded towards Richmond Farm.
The suspects opened fire at police and police returned fire to defend themselves. During the shootout one suspect was fatally wounded whilst a second suspect was injured and taken to hospital where he remains under police guard.
A third suspect managed to flee the scene. Police recovered an unlicensed 9mm pistol suspected to be the same used in the commission of the hijacking at Ntuzuma.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa commended police officers for the arrests and seizure of unlicensed firearms. “We are very pleased that the suspects have been arrested. We are certain that these suspects would have committed further crimes had they not been arrested by alert police officials. We are also requesting our communities to remain vigilant and not to hesitate to call on police should they witness suspicious activities in their neighborhoods,” he said.
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