UPDATE: Carjacking suspects to appear in court on Monday
Police discovered two knives, a hammer and a firearm, which was found to be a toy gun, inside the vehicle
The two men who hijacked and terrorised a family yesterday will appear in court on Monday. Aged 19 and 23, they will appear in the Mooi River Magistrate’s Court on charges of carjacking.
In an official police statement released today, police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele explains what unfolded yesterday: “At about 12.30pm a 45-year-old man, his wife and two children were in their vehicle and driving along the road at Giant’s Castle in the Mooi River area. They came across an area where the road had been blocked with rocks and tree branches. As the father got out of the vehicle to open the road two men armed with a firearm, knives and a hammer accosted the family.”
The two suspects overpowered the father, climbed into the car and drove around with the family until late afternoon when they stopped in Lyell Street, Ladysmith.
The family saw an opportunity to escape from the vehicle and ran, but a nine-year-old boy was not successful in his escape. The suspects then fled in the vehicle with the child still inside.
Police and traffic officers were alerted of the incident while SA Secure broadcast the details of the vehicle to members of the public.
A member of the public managed to keep an eye on the movements of the vehicle and police personnel from various police stations in the area, together with traffic officers and members of the public gave chase.
A short while later the vehicle was boxed in along the N3 at the Wagendrift Dam turnoff. The joint actions of all those involved resulted in the rescue of the child, the arrest of the two suspects, and the recovery of the vehicle.
Police discovered two knives, a hammer and a firearm, which was found to be a toy gun, inside the vehicle. The child was treated and re-united with his family. The case will be investigated by Mooi River police.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa praised police and members of the community for swiftly responding to the compliant and arrested the suspects. “Our detectives will ensure that they bring all evidence to the court so that the suspect will be prosecuted and receive a sentence they deserve. The recovered firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if they were used in any other crimes in the province,” he said.
