Following a high-speed chase and shootout with police and security officers in Johannesburg CBD on Monday, 06 June 2022 at approximately 14h00, one suspect was critically injured and two escaped.
A multidisciplinary team comprised of members from SAPS Crime Intelligence, the Gauteng Highway Patrol Unit, the Gauteng Traffic Saturation Unit, Tracker Connect, BadBoyz Security, and Vision Tactical investigated information about suspects involved in armed robberies and car hijackings in the Johannesburg area.
At around 14h00, the crew saw the suspects’ vehicle, an Audi A5 with three occupants, in Mayfair. While the team was attempting to apprehend the suspects, they sped away and began shooting at members, resulting in a gunfight. Two of the suspects sprang from the moving truck and escaped on foot.
The suspects’ vehicle was pursued by police until it slammed into an electric pole in Johannesburg’s central business district.
One suspect was located inside the vehicle with gunshot wounds and was subsequently pronounced dead by paramedics.
The truck was reportedly hijacked in Kempton Park in May this year and was fitted with fraudulent registration plates, according to preliminary research.
The suspects’ vehicle included an unlicensed pistol and ammunition. There were no injuries to law enforcement officers or the general population.
Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, the Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, has praised the interdisciplinary team for intercepting multiple criminals involved in armed robberies and hijackings in the province in recent months.
Police are on the lookout for suspects who have gotten away.