File
Members of the Eastern Cape SAPS Highway Patrol survived two shoot-outs with criminal suspects near Tsolo, and were able to arrest three men who were “positively linked” to at least six business robberies.
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Majola Nkohli, said the drama unfolded on the busy N2 at the town in the early hours of Wednesday morning when a police patrol came under fire from occupants of a vehicle they tried to stop.
He said a brief high-speed chase ensued during which shots were fired before the suspects jumped out of their vehicle and fled between the houses at Sidwadweni Location.
Nkohli said police were able to arrest a suspect and recover a firearm with its serial number filed off. He said a police reflective jacket and bulletproof vest were found inside the abandoned car.
He said while the same police officers were returning to Tsolo police station, they came under automatic fire from the occupants in a Toyota Corolla, and another shoot-out ensued. Two suspects were arrested, one of whom was wounded.
“No officers were injured during the two incidents,” he said.
Nkohli said the three arrested suspects, aged between 18 and 23, “are positively linked in at least six serious violent crimes such as business robberies.”
They are due to appear in court soon while the hunt for the remaining accomplices continues.
