Johannesburg – Four dead suspected robbers, recovered rifles and explosives in the boot of a hijacked vehicle – this was the outcome of what started off as a routine patrol by the police’s flying squad in Benoni on Friday morning.
National police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said a shootout took place during peak hour traffic on the N12 highway, at the Putfontein off-ramp near the Luthuli informal settlement.
Members of the flying squad spotted a silver Mercedes Benz E330 that had been hijacked in Yeoville in April. They asked the driver to stop.
The occupants responded by opening fire on the police officers, forcing them to return fire.
"One of our members was shot in his leg and the four suspects in the Mercedes Benz were all shot dead."
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said they found two men with gunshot wounds lying in a vehicle. Two others with gunshot wounds were found lying a short distance away in the veld.