Durban - A Benoni man shot an armed robber while his family were being held up at knifepoint on the N2 northbound freeway on Friday afternoon.
The family from Actonville, whose identities are unknown, were travelling from Johannesburg to meet relatives in oThongathi on the KZN north coast.
When the BMW they were travelling in experienced mechanical problems, the father, 50, pulled the car over to the emergency lane beneath the Wandsbeck Bridge in Clare Estate.
The father and his son got out to check the engine, while his wife and daughter remained in the car.
While they were checking the engine for any possible defects, three men suddenly stepped out of the bushes.
A source said one of the suspects placed a knife to the back of the father’s neck. The other suspects held up his wife and son.
Police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, confirmed the victim’s car had a breakdown before he was attacked by three suspects.
“They took their cellphones. The victim managed to draw his firearm and shot one suspect in the chest. The suspects fled the scene. Police recovered the cellphones. A 27-year-old suspect was arrested and he is under police guard at the Wentworth Hospital. The other two are still at large,” Zwane said.
The source said the wounded suspect, now under police guard, had run onto the freeway and was knocked down by a passing car. The impact threw him back onto the emergency lane, but he got up and ran into the bushes at the roadside.
Police were called and found the injured suspect lying in the bushes with injuries to his arm and chest.
A case of armed robbery was opened at Sydenham police station.
Satish Dhupelia, Sydenham Community Policing Forum spokesman, said there had been a few incidents of robbery on the N2 northbound and southbound on the Clare Estate stretch recently.
“Now that police have caught one suspect, we will find out if he lives in the Clare Estate area. This syndicate must be stopped. I urge motorists who stop in this area when their cars malfunction to phone the police or a tow truck,” he said.
Daily News