Shots fired, 2 suspects killed and one arrested in KZN

In the early hours of Tuesday, 4 June 2024, two suspected cash-in-transit robbers were shot and killed during a gunfight with police in Phoenix.

A multidisciplinary police team, including officers from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks), Provincial Tracking and Tracing Team, Tactical Response Team (TRT), and the K9 Unit, had been searching for the suspects following a cash-in-transit robbery in Kranskop on Monday afternoon.

After an extensive overnight search, the suspects were spotted in Bhamshela, Tongaat, early this morning. When the suspects defied police orders to stop, a high-speed chase ensued.

The suspects’ vehicle crashed into a lamp pole along the Phoenix Highway, prompting the suspects to exit the vehicle and open fire on the police.

In the ensuing shootout, two suspects were fatally shot—one next to the vehicle and the other inside a nearby residence where he continued firing at officers.

Police recovered three rifles, a pistol, several rounds of ammunition, and an undisclosed amount of money from the suspects.

One suspect was later arrested at a block of flats with gunshot wounds. The search for additional suspects is ongoing, with police tracking blood stains into nearby bushes. While no police officers were injured, a police vehicle was hit by bullets fired by the suspects.

Local hospitals and medical centers have been alerted to report any patients with gunshot wounds to the police. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the escaped suspects is urged to contact the nearest police station or call the crime stop number at 08600 10111.

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