- Limpopo police have arrested five armed robbery suspects, following a dramatic high-speed chase that ended in a shootout.
- The five suspects allegedly robbed a supermarket in the area of money and cellphone vouchers.
- They were arrested and are expected to appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court soon.
Limpopo police arrested five people for armed robbery on Tuesday, following a dramatic high-speed chase that ended in a shootout.
According to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the “fearless and unrelenting police officers” from Muswodi, the local K9 Unit, Public Order Police, and Thohoyandou Visible Policing succeeded in pursuing the five people, cornering them and arresting them soon after they allegedly stormed into a local supermarket in Muswodi and committed an armed robbery.
“The police at Muswodi in the Thohoyandou Cluster received a report regarding the five suspects who had just [allegedly] robbed a supermarket from a cash amount of money, airtime vouchers, cellphones, and Nissan one-tonner belonging to one of the customers at gunpoint. They then reportedly fled from the scene.
“The local police immediately sprang into action and started following the suspects who, along the way, abandoned the robbed vehicle and got into a Hyundai i10. Backup was then sought from the police in Thohoyandou.
“The suspects’ vehicle then headed towards Matashe-Vhufuli intersection, with the police from Muswodi in hot pursuit. Seeing that their way has already been blocked by the police units from Thohoyandou at the intersection, the driver tried to manoeuvre the vehicle but lost control, landing in the adjacent shrubs,” Mojapelo said.
“The suspects suddenly jumped from the vehicle and fled in different directions and, in the process, allegedly started shooting at the police. The members returned fire and managed to arrest all of them.”
Mojapelo said the police recovered cash, five cellphones, two firearms and ammunition, as well as airtime vouchers during the arrests.
Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba commended the officers involved for their determination in “ridding this province of any form of criminality, especially violent crimes”.
The five people, aged 30 to 34, would possibly be linked to other serious cases in and around the Thohoyandou Cluster, Mojapelo said.
They are expected to appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of business robbery, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles.
