MONTCLAIR – Five suspects have been arrested on Tuesday, September 20 in the Montclair area after a shoot-out with police. The arrested suspects aged between 21 and 34 will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court facing charges of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition as well as possession of a suspected stolen vehicle.
K9 Unit and Montclair police assisted by Provincial Highway Patrol unit were conducting crime prevention duties to prevent hijackings and other serious crimes in the area when they followed up information about a suspected stolen vehicle that was parked in one of the premises in the area.
The members proceeded to the premises where they identified the stolen vehicle. Upon entering the premises, the suspects noticed police officers and fled on foot. Police gave chase and the suspects allegedly started to shoot at the members, who retaliated and a shoot-out ensued.
One suspect was shot and wounded and all five suspects were arrested.
An unlicensed firearm was recovered and on further investigation, it appeared that the recovered vehicle was hijacked from the Umbilo area. The recovered firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to check if it was not used in any other crimes in the province.
Provincial Spokesperson of the SAPS Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said, “ The police will work harder to see whether these arrested suspects were linked to other hijackings in the Durban and surrounding areas.”