N2 hijack smash chaos

3 gunmen dead 2 caught officers hurt

Thousands trapped in city gridlock

THOUSANDs of motorists were trapped in traffic until late yesterday evening after a wild-west shootout between police and suspects which shut the N2 freeway and gridlocked the city and surrounds.

A distraught daughter-in-law heard the whole drama happening as her mother-in-law was caught up in the smash while on a handsfree call.

Last night, police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said forensic investigators were still at the scene and that all five suspects involved in the chase and shooting were accounted for, with three dead and two arrested.

“Forensic investigations are continuing. Three weapons have been found at the scene but we are not discounting that weapons could have been discarded in the bush,” said Naidoo.

The chase along the freeway started after police received a tipoff that the suspects were on their way to commit a robbery.

Police spotted the Mercedes-Benz with five suspects around midday and verified the car had been hijacked from Reservoir Hills.

As the cars flew along the freeway, the gang opened fire on the police vehicle as it closed in on them. As the Mercedes tried to push the police vehicle, the two collided and the high-speed impact saw both vehicles rolling across the freeway, from northbound to southbound.

Police confirmed that they had opened fire on the suspects. Two were killed. A third was arrested at the crash scene, while two others ran into the bush.

Jaydene Stephen was talking to her mother-in-law, 58-year-old Debbie Stephen, and described hearing the moment of impact.

“My mom was on her way back to her office in Pinetown and was speaking to me on the hands free. I heard a bang and a whole lot of noise, and then I asked her ‘are you okay? are you okay?’. Only after a while she said to me ‘Jay please get help’.

“She wasn’t making any sense, it must have been the impact. She managed to say she was near the KwaMashu off-ramp and I frantically called family and friends to get to her. I also called paramedics and police.”

Debbie suffered a fractured pelvis, broken arm, cracked ribs, fractured breast-bone and concussion. Her condition is stable, and she was expected to undergo surgery.

A witness at the scene, Brad Gardiner, told The Independent on Saturday last night: “I was coming back from a meeting in uMhlanga Rocks, not really paying much attention to what was going on around me. Then about 600 metres in front of me, I saw dust. I didn’t see the cars take off and land, just dust and people running. I was still quite a way back and we now know what was happening. But it was the dust, I saw brake lights coming on and luckily enough, I was close enough to get through (before the traffic gridlocked).

“There was a guy with gloves on his hands, he was a bit buggered up… then an ambulance tried to get through… the cops were jumping the barrier, chasing the guys. A couple of other unmarked cars pulled up next to me.

“They got out, they were big chaps… there was a lot of action. People stopped to try to help. Guys (police) on the scene were telling people to get back into their cars and move along. I didn’t see the shots, I was just out of reach, it was all so quick,” he said.

Police units from across the city, including the Hawks, National Intervention Unit (NIU) and K9 Dog Unit, converged on the scene.

The N2 was closed on both sides as police tracked the two suspects in the bush, resulting in a massive traffic back-up which rippled across Durban as motorists battled to find alternative routes home for the weekend.

Amid the delays, Parlock resident Avisha Naicker said despite the incident happening several kilometres away from her place of work in Greyville, she was caught in traffic in the greater Durban CBD area for an hour.

“The traffic had a snowball effect, from central town. My husband and I got stuck for another hour getting to Durban North to pick up our son. This is a journey that normally takes 15 minutes. Panic kicked in as my son’s school aftercare was due to close,” said Naicker.

With no end in sight to the traffic, Naicker said she had to call a friend to fetch her son.

Westville resident Steve Nightingale, who was travelling from uMhlanga, “hit the queue at 3pm” and an hourand-a-half later was still a 1km from the KwaMashu off-ramp.

“Not even moving at all now. I suspect North Coast Road is also gridlocked,” he said by late afternoon.

In the early evening, police confirmed that the two remaining suspects had been found.

One had died, while the second man was arrested.

Police remained tightlipped last night as to the intended destination of the gang of armed men.

Naicker confirmed that two police officers had been injured in the incident.

Social media went into overdrive, with many motorists posting messages as they waited in traffic.

Some motorists were clearly tired and frustrated with the lengthy delays, with tweets such as Shane saying “Just when you think you’re gonna get a head start on the weekend... this sh*t happens”.

There was also out outpouring of admiration for the police, including Patsy Kevan Hills saying, “hubby stuck in traffic... police work is excellent”; Anisha Garib posted, “well done SAPS... pls don’t send them out on bail”; and Rosa de Swardt posted “Good job... can we now open the road”.

Acting Metro Police head, Steve Middleton, also posted last night, congratulating the police dog handlers, saying: “you were instrumental in tracking and searching for some suspects and you and your fellow canine officers were successful in tracking suspects and effecting arrests... awesome officers.”

The freeway was opened at about 6pm.

CRIME SCENE: Leaving a trail of debris scattered across the southbound lane of the N2 freeway, a shootout between suspects and the police resulted in three deaths yesterday. Pictured is a Mercedes hijacked in Reservoir Hills recently, and driven by the suspects. Police cordoned off the scene.

HOLD-UP: Motorists were left sitting for hours in idle traffic as police closed off the N2 north and southbound lanes for investigations.

WRECKED: Debbie Stephen, 58, suffered multiple injuries when her car was hit yesterday. Her frantic daughter-inlaw, Jaydene, was talking to Debbie on the hands-free phone at the time, and heard the noise of the smash. Injured and shocked, Debbie managed to tell Jaydene to get help.

GETTING A PEEK: This image, looking at the south bound carriageway of the N2 freeway, shows the cordoned off area of the crash site. Dozens of onlookers stood on the banks to catch a glimpse of the damage.

CAUGHT UP: Traffic on the N2 south bound was backed up as police cordoned off the freeway to control the crime scene. Some motorists were stuck for more than two hours in the traffic.

GETAWAY CAR: Police officers and rescue workers at the scene of the smash, near the Mercedes-Benz that was used by the suspects. The vehicle had been hijacked in Reservoir Hills.

PROBE: Officers from the National Intervention Unit patrol the scene, ready to comb through the bushes looking for suspects who ran away.

PURSUIT: Police officers search the bushes alongside the freeway for the suspects who ran away.

CENTRE-STAGE: Witness Brad Gardner finds himself in the middle of the action yesterday.