GAUTENG. – Motorists on the R80 Mabopane highway were stuck in heavy traffic on Monday, while a severe rainstorm lashed down on top of it all. A section of the road was closed following a shootout in which three alleged transit robbers were fatally wounded. A fourth suspect was taken into custody.
Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, police spokesperson, said a multidisciplinary team consisting of the police's tactical response team, anti-gang unit, Gauteng traffic air wing and private security companies through Business Against Crime South Africa investigated information about suspects who allegedly planned a robbery.
The team spotted a white Hyundai H1 on the R80 and attempted to stop it. The occupants allegedly fired on police, after which police returned fire. Three suspects were fatally wounded. An AK-47 and a nine millimetre pistol were found in the vehicle, while a fourth suspect who allegedly worked with the group was taken into custody in a Toyota Avanza. A nine millimetre pistol was also found on him. Forensic experts are processing the scene and the firearms will be sent for ballistic testing.
The Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) warned motorists who were stuck in heavy traffic due to the active crime scene that the R80 at Eskia Mphahlele Drive and the Bremer Street on-ramp to the R80 were closed.
Photo: SAPD
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
