DURBAN - Two men, both aged 21, were arrested on Wednesday evening in Ladysmith, western KwaZulu-Natal, after a shoot-out ensued between four robbers and a police officer during an armed robbery.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said in a statement on Thursday that the officer was reporting for duty when she was flagged down by victims of a business robbery.
The victims told the officer that four suspects were implicated in the robbery on Poona Road, Ladysmith, which runs through the city’s commercial districts.
“Using her private vehicle, she drove around until she spotted the suspects. When the suspects saw her they started to shoot at her and a shoot-out ensued. The suspects fled in different directions and she managed to call for back-up,” Gwala said.
Gwala said that the responding officer’s private vehicle was damaged during the shoot-out.
Two suspects were found hiding inside a house and were arrested. They were found in possession of an illegal firearm with ammunition and a toy gun.
They will appear before the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court, where they will be facing charges of robbery, attempted murder, as well as illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The police also recovered the money, an undisclosed amount, that was stolen from the scene of the crime.
Gwala said that the police were still searching for the two remaining suspects who managed to flee the scene.
“We will not rest until the remaining culprits are caught,” said KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula.
ANA