POLICE negotiators had to be called to a residence in Umbumbulu on Tuesday, February 1, after a fleeing armed robbery suspect ran into a random house and held its occupants hostage.

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SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said the chase started in Cato Ridge where five armed men entered a cellphone shop and robbed the staff at gunpoint.

“The suspects stole a large number of cellphones before fleeing in their getaway vehicle. Magma Security was contacted and they immediately responded to the scene before alerting police. The suspects fled towards Umbumbulu,” he said.

On a gravel road, the suspects lost control of their vehicle and they abandoned it, fleeing on foot while firing at the responding officers. After a chase, one suspect was arrested while others ran into the bushes and one fl ed into a nearby house where he held an elderly woman and her two grandchildren hostage.

“After a lengthy standoff, with the assistance of hostage negotiators, the suspect was apprehended and his firearm seized. The hostages were released unharmed,” said Naicker.

The other three suspects are still at large.  

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