Three suspects who had hijacked a vehicle loaded with home appliances on Tuesday, 19 November 2024 were shot and fatally wounded in a shootout with police in Mariannhill on Wednesday night, 20 November 2024.
On Tuesday afternoon, a motorist was hijacked of his Hyundai H1 delivery vehicle loaded with home appliances worth an undisclosed amount of money on Intake Road in Mariannhill. Police’s intelligence traced the hijacked vehicle to Klaarwater hostel in Mariannhill and information indicated that the suspects were loading the hijacked goods into a bakkie.
When police approached the area they spotted the identified bakkie and signalled for the driver to stop, however the driver chose to ignore police’s instructions and sped off and police gave chase. During the high speed vehicle chase, the suspects started firing shots at the police and a shootout ensued. The suspect’s vehicle came to a standstill at the corner of Henry Penington and Ndwandwe streets in Klaarwater, Mariannhill. Three suspects were found to have sustained fatal gunshots wounds during the shootout and were found in possession two firearms whose serial numbers were filed off, as well as several rounds of ammunition.
Apart from a police vehicle which had bullet holes on the bonnet, no police officer was injured during the shootout.
