Three hijackers arrested, two wounded in shoot-out with police

African News Agency (ANA)

Three hijackers arrested, two wounded in shoot-out with police
Three hijackers have been arrested, two of them wounded in a shoot-out with police, in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal

Three hijackers have been arrested, two of them wounded in a shoot-out with police, in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Saturday.

Police officers from Alexandra Road in Pietermaritzburg Central, the K9 unit, and the combined action team (CAT) responded to a car hijacking incident on Friday night and arrested three suspects, Lt-Col Shooz Magudulela said.

“It is alleged that three unknown gunmen accosted a 41-year-old Pietermaritzburg police officer while he was near the Alexandra swimming pool and robbed him of his Toyota Corolla vehicle.

“As the suspects sped off with his vehicle he immediately alerted police who swiftly responded to the incident. Police came across the suspects driving at high speed and confronted them. The suspects opened fire on police and a shoot-out ensued,” he said.

Two hijackers were shot and wounded while a third was unhurt. They were all arrested and the wounded men were taken to hospital for medical attention where they remained under police guard.

Police recovered the hijacked car and an unlicensed 9mm pistol with its serial number filed off. The three men would be charged with hijacking, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and attempted murder.

They would appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court soon. The recovered firearm would be sent for ballistic tests to establish whether it had been used in the commission of any other crime in the country, Magudulela said.

KwaZulu-Natal acting provincial police commissioner Maj-Gen Bhekinkosi Langa lauded the officers for the swift arrest of the hijackers.

“We are glad that our police officers escaped unscathed during the shoot-out. I urge our police officers to remain alert at all times to protect the citizens of this province and prevent criminal activities from taking place,” he said.

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SOURCEAfrican News Agency (ANA)