Quantum robbers in R21 shootout had police branding on vehicle

05 May 2015 - 17:00 By Shaun Smillie

The men arrested after a shootout with police on the R21 highway this morning have admitted that they were on the way to rob a premises in Olifantsfontein‚ police say. Gauteng Traffic police shot and injured one man and arrested three others when they stopped a Quantum minibus‚ near the Olifantsfontein offramp. Two other occupants of the Quantum escaped.“We heard they were heading to Olifantsfontein to commit a robbery‚ but we don't know where‚” said Gauteng Traffic police spokeswoman Busaphi Nxumalo.The Quantum had Metro police branding on the back window. “It is written metro police‚ but you can only see it close up‚” said Nxumalo.Gauteng Traffic police suspect that the vehicle was stolen. “The vehicle doesn't appear in our system‚” Nxumalo explained.The incident happened just before 10am when officers saw the vehicle travelling in the fast lane.In the shootout‚ one man was shot in the face and was taken to a nearby hospital‚ in a critical condition.Police found two R4 assault rifles and a handgun on the scene. They also recovered 98 rounds of ammunition.Nxumalo said the arrested men have been taken to the Johannesburg Central holding cells rather than the Olifantsfontein police station‚ because they are deemed high risk...

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