The three men killed by police on Monday on Old Pretoria Road at the intersection with the R25 were allegedly on their way to commit an armed robbery, according to Brig Mathapelo Peter, spokesperson for Gauteng police.
According to Peter the suspects were spotted in a stolen white Audi A7 that was hijacked in Kempton Park last week.
The possibility of them being linked to other serious crimes was not ruled out by the police.
“Police pursued the car until the R25 near Kaalfontein Railway Station between 11am and midday,” said Peter.
According to Peter, the suspects shot at police, after which police returned fire, killing the men.
“An R5 rifle and 9mm pistol, both loaded, were recovered by the police on the scene.”
As the shoot-out unfolded, the suspects’ vehicle collided with another motorist’s car. The female driver was rushed to hospital, but the extent of her injuries has not been made public.
Spokesperson for Netcare, Shawn Herbst, told Express no police officers were wounded during the shoot-out.
“[We] have a zero-tolerance approach to crime,” Peter said about the operation, which was driven by the SAPS K9 unit, the Hawks’ Organised Crime unit, the Saturation unit of Gauteng Traffic Police and Tracker.
