Four suspects killed in separate Durban shootouts

Four suspects were shot and killed in separate shootouts with police in Durban on Wednesday, including a suspected hijacker in Umbilo and three men linked to a cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery in Umlazi.

In Umbilo, a man who allegedly attempted to hijack a vehicle and shot its owner was shot and fatally wounded in a shootout with police on Wednesday night.

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According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, officers were conducting routine patrols when they spotted a man firing shots next to a BMW parked on Clark Road.

A shootout ensued, and the suspect fled on foot along Ryde Avenue before allegedly hijacking an e-hailing vehicle that had just dropped off a passenger.

The man drove towards Che Guevara Road while continuing to fire shots.

“A static deployment of both police and Metro Police officers on Che Guevara Road responded and the suspect was overpowered,” Netshiunda said.

He attempted to flee but he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a gate of a nearby house. He was declared dead at the scene.

Netshiunda added that preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had shot and wounded the owner of the BMW he had tried to hijack. The injured man was taken to hospital.

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He said several police vehicles were struck by bullets, but no police officers were injured.

He also dismissed social media reports claiming that a bystander or student had been hit by a stray bullet, describing the reports as false and malicious.

“The suspect is unknown at this stage, and as such circulating social media reports that the suspect is a foreign national are premature and unconfirmed,” he said.

Three killed after Umlazi cash-in-transit robbery

In a separate incident in Umlazi on Wednesday afternoon, three suspects were killed following a CIT robbery along South Coast Road.

Police on scene of a CIT robbery that took place on Wednesday afternoon along the South Coast Road. Photo: KZN SAPS

Netshiunda said an unknown number of suspects had forced a cash delivery vehicle to stop, held security guards at gunpoint and disarmed them before stealing an undisclosed amount of money.

Police and private security officers responded, leading to a shootout.

Although initial reports indicated that four suspects had been killed, police later confirmed that three had died.

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The suspects were found in possession of three rifles and ammunition.

According to Netshiunda, a few kilometers from the robbery scene, suspects who had evaded arrest had abandoned a bloodstained getaway vehicle and hijacked another vehicle as they continued fleeing from police.

A search of the abandoned vehicle led to the recovery of a firearm and an undisclosed amount of money.

Two security guards were injured in the shootout and are receiving medical attention.

No police officers were injured.

Netshiunda confirmed a manhunt for the suspects who fled the scene is under way.