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Durban – Car hijackers raced through morning traffic in two cars, near Amanzimtoti on the South Coast on Wednesday, shooting at the police who were in pursuit.
The police returned fire and the drivers of both cars – the stolen vehicle and the back-up car – lost control near Umbumbulu. The shoot-out continued with the thieves on foot. One was shot while the others escaped.
The drama started in Long Acres Drive in Doon Heights just before 7am when the gang hijacked 49-year-old Sheryl Steyn, who was picking up a friend.
Steyn told The Mercury that she stopped outside her friend’s home and saw a car stop behind her, but did not pay attention to it.
“When my friend got into the car, a guy emerged out of nowhere near my window with a gun,” she said.
“He forced me out and kept screaming at me.” The man panicked when she asked if she could take her bag and cellphone out of the boot, which he did not allow.
“He did allow my friend to leave the car with her handbag and cellular phone, though,” she said.
When he climbed behind the wheel, he couldn’t start the vehicle, she said.
“He pulled me back inside the car and asked me to start it for him,” she said, adding that the thief then pushed her out and drove off, following the car that had been parked behind her.
Steyn used her friend’s phone to call a police friend, who alerted his colleagues, and news of the hi-jacking spread on police radios.
An Amanzimtoti-based policeman said that two officers saw the VW Polo overtaking traffic at high speed on the R603 and gave chase.
“We had our sirens wailing and they were told to stop via the police intercom,” he said.
The robbers ignored the police and instead fired shots at them. The police returned fire.
The police called for back-up when the gang entered Umbumbulu.
The policeman described the gang as “violent”, as they weren’t afraid to shoot or put the lives of motorists at risk.
The police were closing in when the drivers, both speeding, lost control trying to negotiate a sharp bend and came to a halt. More police arrived but the gang moved quickly, abandoning the cars.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said the wounded suspect had been arrested. He was in a Durban hospital, under police guard.
Steyn said that her car was riddled with bullet holes, and the front and rear windshield had been shattered.
“My gearbox has also been burnt out. My side mirrors have bullet holes,” she said.
She commended the police for the swift response.
Amanzimtoti police were investigating a case of car hijacking.
lungelo.mkamba@inl.co.za
The Mercury
