Alleged hijacker dies from injuries after being arrested in the Badfontein area.
A woman was held at gunpoint after hijackers intentionally drove into her Toyota Fortuner.
A suspect fleeing from the Lydenburg SAPS died from his injuries allegedly sustained during his capture on Wednesday November 11 at around 13:00. He died on his way to Lydenburg Hospital after community members and the Lydenburg SAPS caught him in the Badfontein area.
The police are still investigating the incident. The extent of the injuries that led to the death of the suspect, arrested in Badfontein, has not been released by the SAPS.
A 12:40, the two suspects, driving a Nissan NP200, drove into the back of her Toyota Fortuner of a 21-year-old woman and faked an accident in Lydenburg.
The woman and the suspects agreed to drive to the Lydenburg SAPS to report the incident. However, both suspects forced themselves into her Fortuner, holding the woman at gunpoint.
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“She pleaded with the suspect to use a restroom and they gave her permission. They stopped at the filling station on the corner of Viljoen and Voortrekker streets” said Selvy Mohlala, Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson.
She drew the attention of community members on the premises.
The suspect driving the Toyota Fortuner jumped out of the vehicle and started running down Viljoen Street. A video that showed community members chasing him down went viral on social media on Wednesday.
While the community members tried to catch him, the other suspect moved into the driver’s seat and fled with the Fortuner in the Badfontein direction (R37).
“The suspect that passed away from his injuries was arrested on the Badfontein road and not the suspect arrested in Lydenburg,” said Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, spokesperson of Mpumalanga SAPS.
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“The NP200 was recovered and had been reported stolen in Alberton, Gauteng, in October 2022. It was further established that the suspects are from Katlehong, Ekurhuleni in Gauteng Province,” said Mohala.
The suspect who was chased down in Viljoen Street has since been released from Lydenburg Hospital after he was also admitted on Wednesday.
