It is alleged that yesterday afternoon at 15.30 three thugs approached the owner of a tuck-shop and robbed him. As they were fleeing they attempted to hijack a vehicle in the vicinity.
The suspects allegedly shot and killed the driver of the vehicle. They then hijacked another vehicle which was in close proximity, which they used to flee the scene.
This morning, police officers who were on the trail of armed robbers responsible for robberies at Avoca yesterday where involved in a shootout with the suspects at KwaMashu.
Police who were tracking the movements of the suspects the whole night spotted the vehicle at the KwaMashu Hostel. The suspects attempted to flee from police and crashed their vehicle into a house. There was an exchange of gunfire between police and the armed robbers at the scene and two of the suspects were fatally wounded in the gun battle.
The 31-year-old suspect managed to flee the scene during the shootout. He was later arrested at the Poly Clinic in KwaMashu where he sought treatment for gunshot wounds sustained during the shootout. He was taken to a local hospital for further treatment and remains under police guard until his court appearance.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi who visited the scene this morning, commend members of the Ethekwini Inner North Trio Crimes Task Team and Crime Intelligence officers who worked throughout the night to track the perpetrators.
“Your dedication and commitment to protecting and serving the community must be commended. Please remember to always take extra precautions when approaching criminals as they will always shoot first. We cannot afford to lose dedicated and hardworking police officers in these shootouts,” he said.
