A police operation in Cape Town ended in a deadly shootout on Wednesday morning after members of the National Intervention Unit tracked a group of armed suspects traveling in a Toyota Hilux from Nyanga.
According to police, the suspects opened fire on officers after spotting a police vehicle along Jakes Gerwel Drive in Mitchells Plain. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding one suspect and arresting four others.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that officers recovered a cache of weapons on the scene.
“An AK47 rifle and two 9mm pistols with ammunition were recovered on the scene. Two private vehicles were damaged when the suspects’ vehicle collided with the vehicles,” he said.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s death.
Twigg added that the remaining suspects, aged between 27 and 45, are expected to appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates Court soon on charges including possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, attempted murder, and attacking police.
VOC News
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