Cops hunt hijackers
2007-12-12 14:14
Johannesburg - Police launched a manhunt for four hijackers on Wednesday, after two people were injured when the gang hijacked a car, crashed it and then opened fire on a policeman, Pinetown police said.
Police spokesperson Captain Debbie O'Brien said the incident took place at 10:15 outside a surgery in Wyebank, near Pinetown.
A 30-year-old man and his nephew were getting out of the vehicle when four men held them at gunpoint.
"They demanded the car keys and the man handed them over and then walked towards the surgery entrance ... but the suspects called him back and said they would shoot if he didn't listen to them," said O'Brien.
The nephew managed to walk into the surgery in time.
"The driver climbed into the back seat of the car and the men sped off towards Clermont," she said.
While the man was being robbed of his belongings, a Pinetown detective working on another case in the area spotted the suspicious car and gave chase in his unmarked police car.
The car driven by the gang member then crashed into a bakkie in Sub 5, Clermont.
"The men got out of the car and opened fire on the policeman and then fled on foot into a shack settlement," said O' Brien.
Police said the hijack victim sustained injuries to his leg and the driver of the bakkie sustained head injuries.
The policeman was uninjured, said O'Brien.
Police were searching the shack settlement for the gang.
- SAPA