JOHANNESBURG – Five men between the ages 21 and 34 were arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Montclair following a shoot-out with police and are set to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on charges of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition as well as possession of suspected stolen vehicle, police said today.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said that the K9 Unit and Montclair police assisted by Provincial Highway Patrol Unit were conducting crime prevention duties to prevent hijackings and other serious crimes in the area when they followed up information about suspected stolen vehicle that was parked in one of the premises in the area.
“Police proceeded to the identified place where they saw the suspected stolen vehicle, they went inside the premises and when the suspects saw the police, they fled on foot. The police gave chase and the suspects allegedly started to shoot towards the members and the members retaliated.”
Zwane said that one suspect was shot and wounded and all five suspects were arrested. An unlicensed firearm was recovered. On further investigation, it appeared that the recovered vehicle was hijacked in the Umbilo area last night.
“The police will work harder to see whether these arrested suspects will not be linked to other hijackings in the Durban and surrounding areas. The recovered firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to check if it was not used in any other crimes in the province. “We appeal to the community to continue giving us information about any wanted suspects as these criminals are in our community. We must not hide them but expose them to the police,” Zwane said in a statement.
