Hijacked vehicle swiftly recovered
LUCK ran out for three men who were caught red-handed a mere 10 minutes after hijacking a Ford Laser Tracer – used as a jikeleza taxi – in New Brighton yesterday.
The three men were arrested in Commercial Road, Sidwell, after a Flying Squad vehicle was flagged down by the taxi owner, who by chance spotted the hijackers driving down the road after they made off with the vehicle used by her driver.
Vehicle owner Akhona Ngenyane said she was ecstatic after her vehicle was found and the hijackers caught.
“I got a phone call from the driver saying that he had been hijacked in Seyisi Street, New Brighton, shortly after 2pm,” she said.
“I was in a panic. My husband and I jumped in the car and rushed to the street where the driver was left.”
While on their way to Seyisi Street, the couple saw the Ford Laser going the other way.
“As soon as I saw the car, I told my husband, ‘there they are’.
“At that stage, we saw a police car drive past.
“We chased after it and when the policeman stopped, I told him my hijacked car had just passed us,” she said.
“He told me to get into the car while he chased after them.”
Flying Squad Warrant Officer Gerhard van der Merwe was alone in the police vehicle as he was on light duty due to a sports injury.
“As I stopped at the traffic lights on Commercial Road near the N2, a woman [Ngenyane] frantically came running up to the car and told me about the hijacking.
“I quickly told her to get inside the car – and we went looking for the Ford,” he said.
“We raced down Commercial Road and, lo and behold, the car was in front of us doing a U-turn.
“She [Ngenyane] was ecstatic. I had to tell her to calm down as they didn’t know we were looking for them,” Van der Merwe said.
Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said within minutes of spotting the Ford, Van der Merwe had called for backup.
“He was alone and did not have a firearm with him. But within minutes of calling for backup, police officials from all over came to assist,” he said.
“The Ford was stopped and all three men arrested.”
Beetge said while no firearms were found inside the vehicle, police believed the suspected hijackers had already dropped the weapons off somewhere.
The men, aged 44, 20 and 21, are due in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court on Monday.