The shoot-out between the police and the suspects led to the death of one suspect. Picture: Facebook / SAPS
A quick-thinking Joburg resident saved victims from being abducted by alerting the police after spotting a suspicious Quantum taxi with missing registration plates on Monday afternoon.
But the tip-off led to a confrontation between the police and the robbery suspects in the Johannesburg Central Business District, resulting in a shoot-out where one suspect was killed and one injured.
The police discovered two firearms with filed off serial numbers in the suspects’ possession, said Gauteng police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.
The incident began when two sector managers from the Johannesburg Central police station acted on a tip-off regarding a suspicious quantum taxi lacking registration, occupied by six men.
“Upon arriving at the said place, the suspect had already forcefully taken one victim inside their taxi and were still struggling to remove the other two victims from their Tazz vehicle,” said Nevhuhulwi.
As police approached, the suspects opened fire. Officers returned fire, resulting in the death of one suspect and the injury of another, while four accomplices managed to escape the scene.
The wounded suspect was taken to hospital and will face charges of attempted armed robbery, kidnapping and hijacking.
The police continue their search for the remaining suspects as investigations proceed.
IOL News