A police officer was shot and killed and four others were injured in a dramatic cash-in-transit heist in Hillbrow on Thursday afternoon.
According to information from the Joburg East SAPS Cluster, the incident took place at about 1pm when Fidelity Security guards collecting cash from a Superbet were ambushed.
Two suspects opened fire on the guards injuring one. A second guard was assaulted.
Both were taken to Milpark Hospital for treatment.
Two civilians, a man and a woman, were also shot and injured in the process.
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The woman was shot in the hand and the man in the leg. Both were transported to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
The suspects took a bag and fled the scene.
A look-out was issued for the two vehicles the suspects were using and officers soon identified both getaway cars.
When the suspects realised they had been spotted, they opened fire on police officers.
One officer was shot in the neck and was later declared dead.
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Officers chased the suspects through the streets of the Joburg East area before a second shoot-out occurred on Roberts Avenue.
Investigations by the Hawks then led police officers to premises in Bertrams linked to the suspects.
A total of six suspects were arrested in Hillbrow, on Roberts Avenue in Kensington and in Bertrams.
Police officers recovered seven firearms and three motor vehicles.
The Acting National Commissioner of Police, Lieutenant General Sindile Mfazi, expressed his dismay at the killing of the police officer.
Mfazi commended the bravery of the police officers who responded to the scene and expressed his shock at the killing of a police officer.
“Our members are fearless. They did not think twice before they confronted those brazen criminals. One of our own laid down his life to ensure the safety and security of the inhabitants of this country,” he said.
