Five men are recovering in hospital under police guard after crashing into a truck as they fled from police in Durban yesterday. The driver of the vehicle was killed on impact.

According to SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the suspects have been linked to a house robbery in the Malvern area. The Umbilo Task Team were patrolling along Feilden Drive in Umbilo when they spotted the vehicle.

“The vehicle was positively identified as one reported to have been used during a house robbery in the Malvern area earlier in the day. After the suspects defied the police’s instruction to stop, a high-speed chase ensued. The suspects drove into the oncoming traffic on Umbilo Road and collided head-on with a horse and trailer. The driver of the suspects’ vehicle succumbed to his injuries at the scene, and the other five suspects were arrested and taken to hospital for treatment,” says Netshiunda.

The suspects were found in possession of three firearms and 19 rounds of ammunition.

“Two of the firearms were positively linked with house robberies in Malvern and Pinetown, which they allegedly committed in December 2022,” adds Netshiunda.

The five suspects, aged between 20 and 27 years old, will appear in court soon.