Shots fired as cops bust cable thieves
"The suspects fired several rounds at the police, no members were injured and four suspects were arrested, unfortunately six managed to escape."
Shots were fired when Lyttelton police arrested four suspected cable thieves on Thursday in Centurion in a coordinated operation consisting of several police units, metro police, and private security companies.
Lyttelton police spokesperson Captain Dave Miller said:
“It all started at 02:00 on Thursday morning when a complaint was received of shots being fired around the vicinity of John Vorster and Olivenhoutbosch drives.”
He said it was quickly established that several suspects were inside the open veld and that they were stripping copper cabling.
“The area was quickly cordoned off and an intensive search of the area began.”
He said during the search of the open veld, the suspects fired several rounds at the police. No officer was injured and four suspects were arrested; unfortunately, six managed to escape.
“Once the area had been secured, we could establish the stripping point of the cable. The officers found 28 rolls of copper cabling that had already been removed from the protective sleeving.”
The suspects will face charges of tampering with essential infrastructure and possession of the suspected stolen property. They will appear in court within 48 hours, Miller said.
Miller said station commander Brigadier Matlala thanked all the policing units and private security that were involved in the operation and praised the bravery of all involved.
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