Three suspects who were wounded in a shootout with police, after they had hijacked a Pietermaritzburg police officer’s vehicle, are all under 20 years old.
|||Durban - Three hijackers who were arrested after a shootout with Pietermaritzburg police on Friday night have all been identified as teenagers.
The three were expected to appear in the city’s magistrate’s court on Monday, but their case was adjourned, in absentia, until Monday. The trio are still being treated for their injuries in hospital.
One of the accused was identified as 18-year-old Thamsanqa Hlongwane. His co-accused are aged 16 and 17 and cannot be named because they are minors.
The teens have been charged with one count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The state alleges the three teens accosted 41-year-old Pietermaritzburg police officer, Emmanuel Makhaye, at gunpoint while he was near the Alexandra swimming pool and robbed him of his vehicle on Friday night.
The teens then sped off with the vehicle, but Makhaye had alerted police.
Police intercepted the suspects driving at high speed and confronted them. The suspects opened fire on police and a shoot-out ensued.
Police said that two of the hijackers were shot and injured. The hijacked car and an unlicensed 9mm pistol with its serial number filed off were recovered.
Daily News