Cops shoot rape and robbery suspect during chase

28 August 2016 - 17:14 By Frank Maponya

A Limpopo man is fighting for his life in hospital after he was allegedly shot by police during a chase. The incident happened in Jane Furse on Saturday night. The man‚ who cannot be named pending his court appearance‚ was being sought in connection with cases of rape and business robbery that were committed in the Jane Furse area of Mamone village.According to police spokesman Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo‚ the 32-year-old man was in the company of two men in a car when police arrived to arrest him.He said upon noticing them the men sped off.“The suspect failed to stop when ordered to do so. This led to the police firing shots at the fleeing vehicle and in the process the suspect suffered several gun shot wounds‚” Mojapelo said. He said one of the man's friends who was also in the car was also hit. They have both been hospitalised.“The intention of the shooting was to stop the suspect from fleeing in order for us to arrest him‚” he explained.The man is currently under police guard at an undisclosed hospital in the area.Mojapelo said a firearm and the car in which the men were travelling had been confiscated. He also said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) had been informed.Mojapelo said they were continuing with investigations into the man's activities and that he would appear in court as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.“The provincial police commissioner‚ Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba‚ has thanked all officers who were involved in the operation that led to the arrest of the suspect. This arrest will go a long way in ridding the area of criminality and a clear message being sent to would-be criminals that they cannot forever hide away from the police‚” he added.-TMG Digital/Sowetan..

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