5 killed in shoot-out with police

A DRAMATIC shoot-out involving the Hawks on the N2 freeway on Monday evening ended in the deaths of five suspects who allegedly had links to previous cases of murder and robbery.

The incident involved a highspeed car chase and shoot-out between Port Shepstone and Shelly Beach.

Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said Hawks members were following up on information about a group of armed robbers who were travelling in a Toyota Avanza from the Eastern Cape towards Durban.

“The driver ignored warnings to stop and instead the occupants allegedly opened fire on the members, resulting in a shoot-out and high speed chase,” he said.

The vehicle eventually came to a standstill and, upon inspection, the five occupants were declared dead, said Mulaudzi.

No member of the Hawks had been injured, he said.

One assault rifle, two unlicensed pistols, several cellphones, and an amount of cash were seized. An amount of R5 400 was found on one of the dead.

KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mxolisi Kaunda, warned criminals in KZN not to shoot at the police, saying doing so put the lives of the police, the public and public assets in serious danger. “Shooting at the police is illegal and totally unacceptable.

“The police have the right to defend themselves in life threatening situations.

“We urge suspects to co-operate with the police to avoid any further loss of life,” said Kaunda.

The suspects were positively linked to two cases of murder and robbery in Mpumalanga and Mariannhill.

In the Mariannhill incident, the Hawks were investigating a case of armed robbery, murder, and attempted murder in an incident that occurred last Thursday.

Two security guards were allegedly accosted while loading cash in an ATM.