Policeman caught with blue light gang: Hawks

The Hawks say they have foiled the attempts of five men who were disguised as the Gauteng K9 police, to commit crimes in Gauteng.

Hawks spokesman Capt Paul Ramaloko said the men, who are believed to be the blue-light gang, were spotted by the Hawks team in Midrand, Gauteng.

A chase ensued after the men had been spotted driving in a cloned, marked police Chevrolet Cruze, under the disguise of the Gauteng K9 Unit, he said. The shooting ended in the Glen Austen area of Midrand, along the Old Johannesburg Road and George Street.

Two of the robbers were fatally injured and three were arrested on the spot.

One of the Hawks' investigating officers narrowly escaped being shot in the face, after the suspects shot right at the windscreen on the driver's side. 

Three of the suspects were dressed in police uniform, one was dressed in a police issued bullet-resistant vest, and the other was wearing civilian clothes.

"It was later established that one of the suspects is a 35-year-old serving police constable, attached to the Olifantsfontein Visible Policing Unit in Tembisa."

Four firearms were seized: One R5 assault rifle and three handguns.

Two jamming devices were found on the back seat of the vehicle.

"The gang is suspected of having been involved in several crimes disguised as  police."

The suspects will appear soon in the Midrand Magistrate's Court on charges of impersonating police officers, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and possession of a motor vehicle suspected to have been stolen.