Hijackers 'left man to die'

2008-02-01 20:20

Johannesburg - A man was killed during a shootout with police after a car was hijacked near Lethabong outside Rustenburg, North West police said on Friday.

Superintendent Louis Jacobs said police on a patrol found Tienie Jones, 57, lying next to the road at the intersection of the Sun City and Beestekraal roads at 02:00 on Thursday.

He had been severely assaulted and left on the road side to die. Jacobs said Jones suffered head injuries and was in stable condition in hospital.

Jones told the police he had been hijacked and gave them the description of his green Mazda. Police went out to look for the hijacked car and spotted it at about 03:00 in Lethabong.

A high speed chase took place and three men jumped out of the car after stopping it.

Moments later they opened fire on the police who were chasing them.

Police returned fire and one of the men in his late 20s was wounded and died later at a local clinic.

The other two managed to run away.

- SAPA