Injured suspect arrested after Brakpan bike hijacking attempt

A would-be motorbike hijacker was traced to a hospital and arrested hours after a shoot-out with Brakpan police.

Brakpan SAPS Crime Prevention Unit members were patrolling along Oval Road in Brakpan North last Tuesday when they witnessed two men travelling in a white double cab bakkie attempting to hijack the rider of Checkers Sixty60 motorbike.

The area is notorious for motorbike hijackings.

“Sergeants Bheki Sibande, Ntsako Kekana and Mzwakhe Khoza were driving in a marked police sedan, and upon realising the police saw them, the men in the white bakkie drove off into the Plastic City informal settlement,” said Constable Audrey Buthelezi, Brakpan SAPS Sector 1 manager and communications officer.

“The SAPS members gave chase, and shots were fired from the bakkie towards the police. The police members retaliated and had to abandon the state vehicle and give chase on foot because the state sedan was too low for the bumpy roads in the informal settlement.

“Both the driver and the passenger vanished into Plastic City and abandoned the bakkie.

“The crime prevention members couldn’t find them or the firearm. The bakkie was then driven to the police station, and police members noticed blood in the bakkie on the driver’s side close to the pedals.”

Investigations swiftly began and it didn’t take long for the members to get on the trail, and within hours one suspect was located. It was discovered the driver of the bakkie had been taken to the Far East Rand Hospital for medical treatment for a gunshot wound to the leg.

“Police went to the hospital and indeed found the man, who was then placed under arrest and immediately put under police guard,” said Buthelezi.

The 25-year-old Zimbabwean man was charged with attempted murder. Brakpan SAPS station commander Brigadier Johanna Ngoma applauded the crime prevention members for their vigilance and brave response, which saved the motorbike rider and prevented a crime.

Investigations will determine if the suspect is linked to a spate of motorbike hijackings in this area. Main Reef and Oval roads have for months now been a high risk area for motorcyclists, who have become soft targets for hijackers.

Attacks take place all hours of the day and night. Police have appealed to the public to be extra cautious, especially when traveling around Plastic City, and are appealing to road users to take alternative routes.

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The Brakpan Herald has reported on numerous bike hijackings in these areas over the past few months:

• A motorcyclist was hijacked at gunpoint by three men near Plastic City on April 28. The motorbike was later recovered by police and other law enforcement role players in a shack in the informal settlement.

The previous day also saw a rider hijacked of his motorbike at gunpoint along Oval Road. This victim also identified three men with firearms as the culprits.

• On March 28, a motorcyclist was forced off his Big Boy Scooter near Plastic City. The victim was approaching the traffic circle in Anzac when four men walked into the road.

The men instructed him to stop, with one pointing a gun at the victim. The victim stopped and was pushed off the scooter, and left in the road. The men then disappeared into the settlement with the scooter.

• A delivery rider was robbed of his motorcycle by a group of 10 men at the traffic circle in Anzac on March 7. The victim was en route to Sherwood Gardens to make a delivery, when the hijackers tried to grab him, and he lost control of the bike.

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The victim was taken to a veld where his assailants demanded to know the location of the bike’s tracking device. He was assaulted and also robbed of personal documents, his cellphone and cash.

• A delivery motorcyclist was robbed of his motorbike by four hijackers in Anzac on December 12. The victim arrived at an address along Sports Way to deliver the order. There appeared to be no one at the residence and the victim attempted to phone the customer.

While making the call, he was confronted by four men wearing balaclavas. He was threatened with a gun and searched. The hijackers fled with his cellphone, cash and his white Big Boy motorcycle.

• On November 30, a food delivery rider was knocked off his bike along Main Reef Road by a man wielding a stick. The victim was returning from a delivery when he saw two men standing in the road.

The pair ran towards him as he approached and he stopped the bike to try and turn back. One of the men then hit the rider with a stick and he fell from the bike. He fled from his attackers, who chased after him but returned to the bike after failing to catch up with him.

• On November 5, a rider was forced off his motorbike at gunpoint by a group of seven men who had blocked the road.

The men then took his bike into Plastic City. The victim was taken to a field where the hijackers demanded money from him.

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When the victim had no cash to give them, the men assaulted him with bricks. He was held captive for about an hour before he was told to run and not look back. He was robbed of his trousers and shoes.

• On November 4, a biker was hit by an unidentified object, causing him to lose control of his bike and fall. He was nearing The Rock Raceway when he saw four men walk onto the road.

As he approached, he saw one of the men was armed with a gun, and another was holding something. Shots were fired at the rider as he drove past the group.

Objects were also thrown at him, one of which struck him. After falling from his bike, the men took the rider to a secluded area and robbed him of cash and his cellphone.

• A stick-wielding man and an accomplice hijacked the rider of a delivery motorcycle near Plastic City on October 2. The rider was nearing the Anzac traffic circle when he noticed two men crossing the road from opposite sides.

One of the men was holding a stick. As the rider was about to pass the pair, the man hit him with the stick, causing him to fall from the bike.

The duo then took his motorcycle and fled the scene. Delivery parcels were also stolen, along with the rider’s personal belongings.