Teamwork between several police units and a local farm security head led to the foiling of a farm attack in the Port Alfred area and the arrest of four suspects.
The men have also been linked to a separate hijacking and murder in Peddie last weekend.
They were arrested following a shoot-out with police around 5am on Tuesday morning near a farm in the Shaw Park area.
A task team, comprising Port Alfred cluster police, Motherwell crime intelligence in Port Elizabeth and supported by a local farm security head, was formed on Monday when police received a tip-off about a planned farm attack.
After police received more information about the farm attack, they set up a roadblock on the corner of Bathurst and Standerwick Streets.
At about 5.00 am a vehicle they had stopped earlier approached. The Task team flagged the driver to stop when gun shots were fired from the vehicle.
Police returned fire and after which the vehicle stopped, three men emerged unharmed while a fourth one sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder.
Police noticed that the injured man was the same driver they had earlier questioned and released.
He was rushed to the local hospital for treatment and is under police guard.
A gun and live rounds of ammunition were found in the vehicle.
All four suspects face charges of attempted murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
They will appear in court soon.
