Swift response by police leads to the arrest of hijacking suspect

Police on Tuesday afternoon, 27 July 2021 at about 15h00, followed up on information received about hijackers in the Sandringham area. The security guards spotted the four suspects in the VW Polo attempting to hijack the vehicle and call for backup. The Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Unit who were in the area responded and a chase ensued leading to the successful arrest of one suspect and the subsequent recovery of an R5 rifle and 25 live rounds of ammunition in Sandringham, Johannesburg.

Members were notified about an attempted hijacking that had just taken place in Sandringham and the Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Detectives were dispatched to search for the suspects.

One suspect that matched the description circulated was arrested.

Upon searching the suspects’ vehicle, police recovered a bag with an R5 rifle that will be subjected to ballistic testing to establish whether or not it was used in the commission of other crimes.

The suspect will be charged with attempted hijacking and possession of an unlicensed firearm. The suspect will further be profiled to determine linkage to other crimes, especially hijacking and serious and violent crimes.