Alleged hijackers nabbed after high-speed chase
MOTORISTS made way as police vehicles raced down Bompas Road in Dunkeld, Joburg, at high speed and a helicopter hovered overhead.
The SAPS were chasing three men in a hijacked SUV.
When the three alleged hijackers realised they had no way out, they abandoned the vehicle, a Ford Kuga SUV, on the corner of Bompas and Fricker roads and tried to escape on foot, but were arrested.
Three firearms were recovered – two 9mm pistols and a Walther CP8, said police spokesman Constable Matome Tlamela. He said all the serial numbers had been filed off.
The drama unfolded at about 11am, when the police spotted the suspected hijacked vehicle and tried to stop the occupants, but they sped off.
As a high-speed chase ensued, motorists gave way as officers from the Flying Squad closed in on the SUV, a witness said.
The men had held a woman at gunpoint and hijacked the car in Rabie Ridge, Midrand, on Saturday night, a security guard at the scene said. The police did not confirm this.
Tlamela said the police received information from a tracking company after the car had been hijacked.
“We were told that the vehicle was moving along Jan Smuts Avenue around 11am,” she said.
Once pinned down, the suspects were handcuffed and made to lie on the tarmac while the forensic team conducted their investigation.
A motorist stopped to congratulate the police while others expressed disappointment that the suspects were alive. “You should’ve killed these dogs. If you don’t kill them they will kill you once they get out on bail,” a man shouted.
Tlamela said the police believed that the men could be linked to other crimes in the area.