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Cops ambush robber gang
30/11/2006 01:00 - (SA)
Thabisile Khoza
Komatipoort - Two armed robbers are in intensive care after trying to shoot their way out of a police ambush.
The two were part of a heavily-armed gang that tried to raid a busy truckers' garage in Komatipoort in Mpumalanga on Monday night.
Police had, however, been tipped off and were lying in wait for the four masked men.
Constable Michael Ngomane of Komatipoort police said: "When they burst into the garage, they were surprised to find themselves surrounded.
"Police ordered them to throw down their weapons and surrender, but they tried to shoot their way out.
"There was a fierce gunfight, but the police officers stood their ground," said Ngomane.
High-speed chase
When the smoke cleared, two of the robbers were sprawled in pools of blood, with their military-issue R-5 assault rifles lying at their sides.
Their getaway car, a stolen Ford Courier bakkie, was recovered near the garage.
The other two suspects managed to flee, but were arrested minutes later after a high-speed chase, when they tried to drive through the Nkomazi toll plaza towards Nelspruit.
"Both men surrendered without any further fight. They are in custody, and are waiting for their colleagues to recover enough so that they can all appear in court together," said Ngomane.
The men face charges of armed robbery, illegal weapons possession, attempted murder, and defeating the ends of justice.
The two injured men are receiving treatment at a Nelspruit hospital for gunshot wounds to the body.
- African Eye
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