The red VW Polo used by the suspects during the attempted robbery near Suikerbosrand.
Image: SAPS
Police in Zonkizizwe, Gauteng, have arrested two suspects and launched an inquest after a suspected hitchhiking robbery ended with one of the attackers fatally shot and the other two seriously injured.
The incident happened on Friday, April 11, along the R550 in Suikerbosrand.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said a man hitchhiked and accepted a lift from three occupants in a red VW Polo on the N3 near Vosloorus.
“However, along the road, the driver took a different direction, and the other suspects pulled out knives and demanded money from the victim,” said Nevhuhulwi.
The suspects allegedly searched the man and took his wallet containing cash. In a turn of events, the victim drew his licensed firearm and opened fire, fatally shooting one of the suspects and injuring the other two.
“Two of the suspects were immediately arrested and are under police guard in hospital and the third one was declared dead on the scene,” Nevhuhulwi confirmed.
A case of armed robbery has been opened, and police have launched an inquest into the incident.
In a similar incident, Four suspected robbers were shot and killed in a shoot-out with Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers, following a robbery at the Dog Box Liquor Store in Verwoerdpark, Alberton, last week Monday.
According to EMPD spokesperson Thabiso Makgato, the suspects had allegedly targeted the store on Kritzinger Avenue and fled the scene in a silver Renault Triber.
Alerted by community members, EMPD officers spotted the suspects and gave chase along the N12. During the high-speed pursuit, the suspects opened fire on the officers, prompting police to return fire.
Four of the suspects were fatally wounded in the exchange, while a fifth suspect sustained a leg injury and was taken to Thelle Mokgoerane Hospital.
IOL News
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