DURBAN - A 26-year-old suspect was arrested in hospital on Monday for an armed robbery that took place in Malvern, a suburb in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
"It is alleged that yesterday at 13:50, three armed suspects entered a house at Glendale Drive in Malvern and held up the occupants in the house," said Captain Nqobile Gwala of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
"They pushed the victims to the floor and stole a flat-screen TV from the wall. The suspects jumped over the fence with the stolen flat-screen TV," she added.
An off-duty police officer who had witnessed the crime confronted the three suspects and a shoot-out ensued.
One of the suspects was shot during the exchange of fire and was helped by the other suspects into a getaway vehicle, after which they fled the scene.
"The suspects’ vehicle was later found abandoned on the Higginson Highway and was impounded by police for further investigation," added Gwala.
"The eThekwini District Trio Task Team continued with an investigation into the case of house robbery," Gwala added.
The "trio crimes" make up a category that includes carjacking, house robbery and business robbery.
According to Gwala, the task team's investigation led them to a local hospital, where they found the 26-year-old suspect, who had sustained a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
"He was placed under arrest and remains at hospital under police guard," said Gwala.
Gwala said the suspect was set to appear in court as soon as he was discharged from hospital.
- African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher