Alberton killer hitch-hikers still at large after shooting driver in head

A motorist was killed when hitch-hikers he had picked up along the N17 near Alberton tried to hijack him, Ekurhuleni metro police said on Thursday.

"A driver from Buhle Park with a passenger in his Nissan LDV was shot dead on Wednesday at around 15h30 on N17 westbound near the Alberton bridge," spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago said in a statement.

The passenger informed police that the two men were picked up near the Alberton bridge, claiming to be going to Johannesburg.

The pair were said to have shot the driver in the head when he tried to speed off.

"The driver was fatally wounded when shot in the forehead. Apparently in an attempt to speed away, the deceased crashed the vehicle into the freeway barriers," he said.

The two men fled the scene and were still at large. Kgasago warned motorists to be vigilant if their vehicles broke down in and around that location.

"Additionally, motorists are reminded that stopping on the freeway is an offence and a dangerous thing to do unless such action is beyond the driver's control," he said.