In a surprise turn of events, a Waterfall motorist and her child were lucky to escape an attempted hijacking unharmed after a gang of hijackers surrounded her vehicle in broad daylight on Sunday.
Blue Security community and media liaison officer Andreas Mathios said the woman had arrived at a friend’s property in Inanda Road to fetch her when the gang held her up at around 1.10pm. “The suspects, armed with firearms, stood on either side of her car and told her to get out of the car,” Mathios said.
“But concerned about her child, who was sitting in a car seat in the back of the vehicle, she instead threw her handbag out of the window towards the gang. The motion caused the vehicle to roll and hit into a gate post, jamming it between some rocks, ” Mathios said.
“The suspects quickly realised that it was going to be a bad idea to try and steal the vehicle and grabbed the handbag and fled the scene on foot to where their getaway vehicle – a white BMW – was waiting,” Mathios said. “The suspects jumped into the vehicle and fled the scene. No injuries were reported.”
Hillcrest SAPS attended the scene of the crime.
Mathios advised motorists to always be vigilant when approaching driveways which are known hotspots for hijackings. “Always pull up parallel to the driveway while waiting for the gate to open so that you can easily drive off if you are approached by a suspect. Make sure that you have your gate remote on hand so that you don’t have to stop and search for it in your handbag.”
“However, if you do find yourself in a hijacking situation and you have a child in the vehicle, calmly inform the suspects that your child is in the car with you and that you are first going to remove your child from the back seat and then they can take the vehicle. Avoid eye contact with your attackers and keep your hands visible to the suspects so they can see you are not about to pull out a concealed weapon, as you move to the back of the vehicle to take your child out of the car seat,” Mathios said.
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