Hijackers killed in shootout
Two men were killed by police when they opened fire on the officers last week after they hijacked a car in Springfield Park.
TWO hijackers were killed by the Durban Central K9 Unit and the Flying Squad on Thursday 8 August when the hijackers opened fire on the officers.
AT 6.30am on Thursday, a BMW was hijacked at Springfield Park. When police were informed of the incident, officers from the Durban Central K9 Unit, who were close to where the hijacking took place, spotted the car at Inanda Road and attempted to stop it.
The hijackers then opened fire on the two police officers and fled onto Queen Nandi Drive with the K9 Unit members hot on their heels.
The men eventually lost control of the car, crashing into the wall of a house on Sikhindi Road in KwaMashu. Although the car burst into flames on impact, the suspects climbed out of the car and continued shooting at police.
Police returned fire, fatally wounding one of the suspects, while the second suspect fled the scene on foot.
The second suspect was spotted by Flying Squad officers on Malendela Drive. When they approached him, he again opened fire on the officers, who in turn fire back at him.
It is believed that while the suspect was shot and wounded in the gunfight, he continued to flee until he collapsed and died in Malendela Drive.
Police recovered 9mm pistols from both hijackers and opened a case of hijacking, attempted murder and an inquest docket for further investigation. Members of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, who were on scene, confirmed they will be conducting the investigations.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, expressed her concern that criminals have been, in recent weeks, demonstrating the tendency of attempting to kill any police officer who confronts them.
“As part of our strategy to deal with hijackings and other robberies, we have placed members of the K9 Unit and Flying Squad along escape routes used by criminals and during the past few weeks, we have been involved in shootouts with criminals fleeing from crime scenes,” Ngobeni said.
“Our strategy is working and we want to reassure our communities that we are doing everything within our control to deal with these criminals.
”We are not intimidated by the brazen conduct of these criminals and will continue to deal with them boldly,” she said.
