Mpumalanga – A suspected serial hijacker was shot dead during a shoot-out with police in Kriel, Mpumalanga, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said on Monday.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said police received information about a hijacked luxury car, which was tracked to a house in Kriel.
“Before they could enter the yard, the men of the law were met with a hail of bullets and a shoot-out ensued. With Special Task Force, Organised Crime, National Investigative Unit, Gauteng Flying Squad, and local police as backup, the suspects were overpowered. One Hawks member was shot on the shoulder and is currently in hospital in a stable condition,” Mulaudzi said.
Eight people, aged between 25 and 38, were nabbed at the house. Two of them were under police guard at a hospital after sustaining injuries during the shoot-out.
Police confiscated six firearms, SA National Defence Force (SANDF) bullet proof vests, commercial explosives, four stolen vehicles – three BMWs, an Isuzu bakkie and a Chrysler Voyager.
The six arrested would appear in the Kriel Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of attempted murder, car hijacking and possession of unlicensed firearms.
African News Agency