A manhunt is underway after five men bombed an automated teller machine (ATM) in Brits early on Thursday morning, North West police said.
At about 2am residents alerted police to a gang trying to blow up an ATM at the Assen Green Store, Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.
“The police team swiftly reacted to the information and pursued them. During the chase the suspects started shooting... and that resulted (in a shootout) between the police and the suspects.”
No one was injured. The suspects abandoned their car and disappeared on foot into bushes in the Madinyana area, near Jerico.
Investigations revealed that the car was hijacked in Midrand last year. A pistol, an R5 rifle, an AK-47 rifle, ammunition, and an undisclosed amount of cash were recovered from the vehicle.
“The search for the five suspects still continues and the police are urging community members... not to try and arrest the suspects by themselves,” Ngubane said.
The dog unit, the national intervention team, the suspect tracing unit and two police helicopters participated in the search. - Sapa