One suspect was wounded and arrested after the botched hijacking of a delivery truck carrying tobacco products at the Village Square Mall in Randfontein on 7 November at approximately 11.30am.

The suspect and two accomplices accosted a 28-year-old truck driver who was about to offload the products.

The three suspects, one of them carrying a firearm, forced the driver into the back of the delivery vehicle and drove off with him.

According to Randfontein SAPS spokesperson, Captain Appel Ernst, the suspects stopped at an unknown location and offloaded the cargo.

They then drove off in the delivery truck and abandoned it in the vicinity of Twelfth Street.

Ernst says that the suspects, unbeknownst to them, were being followed by a security vehicle after reaction officers suspected that something was fishy with the truck.

“Members of the security company in question were following the hijacked vehicle when they saw a different delivery vehicle at the Randfontein/ Kagiso Road intersection.

“The vehicle was driving towards Kagiso.

“They noticed that the vehicle was loaded with the stolen cargo and decided to act on their suspicions,” says Ernst. She adds that the security officers tried to pull over the vehicle, and the suspects abandoned it and fled on foot.

The officers gave chase and next to the Central Hotel in Randfontein one suspect was wounded in the leg while the others managed to get away.

The victim was released from the back of the truck and some of the cargo was recovered from the suspects’ vehicle. The injured suspect was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Randfontein detectives will be investigating the case and hopefully more arrests will be made soon.