Pretoria – A suspect has been arrested following the killing of an SAPS detective in Pretoria, while two constables in KwaZulu-Natal are in hospital after being shot, the SAPS said on Sunday.
A police detective attached to the Garsfontein SAPS in Pretoria was allegedly killed by the suspect he and his two colleagues were arresting on a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) at about 10.30am on Saturday, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said.
"It is reported that three detectives from SAPS Garsfontein followed up on information regarding the suspect who was wanted on a case of assault GBH.
"On arrival at the corner of Garsfontein and Rubenstein roads, the members approached the suspect who then started pelting the police with stones.
"On trying to apprehend the suspect, he (the suspect) managed to grab one of the members' firearm and fatally shot him. The other members managed to retaliate, resulting in the suspect being shot and wounded," Naidu said.
The suspect is in hospital under police guard after the shoot-out with police. He will appear in court on charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder as soon as he was medically fit to do so, he said.
National police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khehla John Sitole condemned the incident and called on the detectives to ensure that justice prevailed in this matter.
"The detectives that were with the deceased member must be commended for applying the necessary force to apprehend the man that allegedly attacked them and subsequently killed the detective constable,” Sitole said.
In an unrelated incident in the early hours of Sunday morning, shortly after midnight, three constables were patrolling in the vicinity of the Esakhaleni Shopping Centre in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal when they were shot at. Two officers were wounded and the third was unharmed.
One of the constables, a woman, was in a critical condition after sustaining gunshot wounds to her face and abdomen. No arrests had yet been made in this incident, Naidu said.
Members of the public were encouraged to send crime tip-offs on the MySAPS APP or to contact the SAPS Crime Stop number 086 0010 111. All information received would be treated in confidence.