One suspect was shot and killed by police who were responding to a business burglary in Winterton this morning.

At about 3am, two suspects held up security guards who were on duty at a business centre.

“They assaulted one of the guards while the other managed to escape and alert police to the robbery,” said police spokesperson Captain Charmaine Struwig.

When Winterton police arrived on scene they witnessed the two suspects exiting the premises, with firearms in hand.

“One of the suspects was subsequently shot dead while the other fled into the nearby bushes. Police seized an unlicensed firearm, which was found with the deceased suspect, as well as a Mercedes Benz which was used in the robbery,” added Captain Struwig.

The recovered vehicle was reportedly hijacked in Malvern in October 2015. A search for the second suspect is underway. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) was also informed of the incident.