An alleged cable thief died after falling headfirst to the ground in his efforts to evade police.
Spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo says on Tuesday police received information from tower patrollers in the area that there were people busy tampering with a transformer in a village outside Tzaneen.
He says officers rushed to the scene and found two suspects busy dismantling the transformer after one had already drained the transmission oil into a container.
When the men realised they were cornered, one suspect ran into the nearby bushes whilst firing shots at police who retaliated.
Mojapelo says the suspect, who was injured during the shootout, was later arrested with the help of community members.
The second suspect, who made use of a makeshift stepladder was still on the pole and got such a fright when he saw police that he fell to his death.
Two other men, who were unaware of police being on the scene, arrived in a Sedan to pick up the stolen goods.
They were arrested on the scene.
The suspects aged between 27 and 43 are all from Pretoria but will appear in the Bolobedu Magistrates Court on Thursday.
