Four suspected armed robbers were killed in a shoot-out with police between Nelson Mandela Avenue and Swarkoppies Road on the R59 in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, this afternoon.

Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni says the suspects were allegedly on their way to commit a business robbery in area.

“The police attempted to stop the suspect’s vehicle, but the suspects started shooting at them. The police retaliated, resulting in four fatalities.”

Mthombeni says the SAPS Criminal Record Centre is gathering evidence and clearing the scene.

“At the moment, we can confirm that firearms were found at the scene, but we cannot determine how many there were.”

Mthombeni says the shooting resulted from a tip-off, which led to a successful police operation. The team included the Tactical Response Team, Gauteng Traffic Police and other law enforcement agencies.

According to AfriForum Alberton, the road was temporarily closed, but the R59 southbound has since reopened with traffic flowing smoothly.

However, at the time of publishing, the R59 northbound was still closed, resulting in traffic being backed up to Kliprivier Road.

No further information was available at the time of publishing.