A robber was shot dead after a high-speed chase on Beyers Naude Drive in Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
Police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza said the man and two others robbed a woman at the gate to her house in Montgomery Park.
"They took several goods from her, including jewellery and sped off ... A security company saw what was happening [and] then gave chase."
The robbers crashed their grey Mercedes Benz at a traffic light near Northcliff Corner Shopping Centre in Beyers Naude Drive.
Kweza said two men got out and fled the scene while a third hijacked a blue Toyota Etios from a woman at the nearby Engen petrol station.
"The robber shot at [a] security guard and then the security guard retaliated. The man then crashed the car into a tree. He died on the scene."
"At this stage we can't confirm how the alleged robber died, only the post mortem will confirm."
Police used yellow barricade tape to cordon off the road. A yellow foil cover was used to cover the body. The man still had brown gloves on his hands.
The grey Mercedes Benz had a loose bumper and was stationary in the opposite direction of Beyers Naude Drive. Two other crashed cars also stood nearby the scene.
The grey Mercedes Benz. (Iavan Pijoos, News24)
Several people looked on as police combed the scene.
Yellow cones were used to identify bullet casings.
An eyewitness, who had been handing out flyers at a traffic light next to the Engen, described the moment the robber was shot. He and his friend witnessed the drama.
"All I saw was a grey Mercedes [Benz] being chased by a security car. The men in the Mercedes [Benz] drove very fast past the robot but couldn't brake in time and drove into two cars."
The man said the "tsotsis" got out of the Mercedes Benz and opened fire at the security guard.
"All we heard was 'bah'. They were shooting at each other," the man said.
"The car slowly went off the road."
The man said they feared for their lives and tried to take cover from the gunshots.
"I was never so scared in my life. I am just here to work and hand out flyers to get some money to take home."
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