Cops arrest hijacker
2008-04-25 19:12
Johannesburg - A 24-year-old man was arrested and a hijacked vehicle recovered following a car chase through Queenswood, Kilnerpark and Lindopark in Pretoria, Gauteng police said on Friday.
Inspector Klaas van der Kooi said the man was arrested around 00:30 on Thursday. Police were searching for two more men who had managed to escape.
Van der Kooi said police had received word from a community member that a man was trying to force open her gate.
Police arrived at the house only to be told that the man and two others had fled in a blue Hyundai car.
Patrols spotted a car matching the Hyundai's description in Queenswood and saw a man trying to force open a gate. When police approached the vehicle, the men drove away.
A car chase ensued that involved several police vehicles, Van der Kooi said. The men left the vehicle in Aster Street in Lindopark and fled on foot.
One of the men ran into a house and pointed a firearm at a home owner before jumping fences in the neighbourhood.
Police spotted the man running into another house and managed to arrest him.
After an investigation, it was found that the blue Hyundai had been reported hijacked in Akasia on April 11.
The other two men managed to flee and were being sought by police.
Police were investigating a case of possession of a hijacked vehicle and the illegal pointing of a firearm.
The 24-year-old arrested by police was out on bail for a rape case in the Mamelodi area. He would appear before the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, Van der Kooi said.
- SAPA