Cops seek ‘dangerous’ suspects after shootings
GAUTENG police have launched a manhunt for various suspects after attacks on police officers in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, and Ekurhuleni at the weekend.
One of the officers was shot dead and another wounded, police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini said yesterday.
“Police are appealing to anyone who may have information about the whereabouts of the suspects to contact the nearest police station or contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111. Any information that may lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects will be rewarded.”
In Atteridgeville, a 46-yearold warrant officer was attacked on Friday at midnight by three unknown men wearing balaclavas and demanding his vehicle parked outside a house.
“In the ensuing struggle to take the vehicle, the police officer was shot and killed, and the suspects took his vehicle, a new VW Golf 6, and drove away. He was shot in the upper body and died at the scene,” Dlamini said.
A 35-year-old police officer and her colleague were also attacked in the early hours of Saturday by two armed men. While the officers were waiting to pick up one of their colleagues, they confronted two suspicious men they suspected to be in possession of a stolen vehicle.
A shoot-out ensued between the suspects and the police. The police officer, a sergeant, was shot and wounded several times. The suspects managed to escape and are still at large. The police officer is being treated in hospital in a serious but stable condition. Her colleague was not injured.
In another incident at KwaThema in Ekurhuleni, a suspect wanted for murder fired shots at police in the early hours of yesterday, who returned fire. The suspect was wounded and taken to hospital under police guard. He will be charged with murder and attempted murder when he appears in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court this week.
The men at large are considered to be armed and dangerous, and the public is warned not to confront them but to contact police.
In other operations in the province at the weekend, police recovered 15 illegal firearms and arrested 21 suspects on charges ranging from assault to attempted murder.