WATCH | 6 times SA drivers turned the tables on would-be criminals

They thought they'd get away with it, but these criminals soon learned that some victims will fight back.

We look back at six times that criminals found themselves scurrying away after drivers turned the tables on them.

1. Pretoria motorist sends would-be hijackers running for their lives

It was a disappointing moment for two criminals when their attempt to hijack a motorist in Pretoria went horribly wrong.

CCTV footage showed the hijackers’ sedan pulling up behind a dark SUV at the entrance of the Woodlands Lifestyle Estate. Two men leap out of the sedan and run towards the SUV.  The criminals scurry away in a panic when their would-be victim turns the tables on them and draws his gun.

“People should be prepared to not be the victim. If you’re the victim‚ they will pick up on that and you will be a victim," Brad Redmayne told TimesLIVE.

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2. No smash, no grab: Tough car window foils Joburg robbers

What are those windows made of? That was the general reaction after CCTV footage was posted to Facebook, showing a failed robbery attempt in Morningside, Johannesburg.

In the footage, a BMW can be seen pulling up to the entrance of a complex around 6.30pm. Before the first boom can close, three men run into the entrance. A man in a red jacket tries to break the driver's window, only for his weapon to bounce impotently off it. He tries again. Fails. A third desperate attempt also has no success as the BMW drives off. 

Having failed completely in their mission, the three men run off into the night.

3. Undertaker sends would-be robbers running for their lives

The CEO of a funeral company put the fear of death into would-be hijackers, whom he sent fleeing for their lives as they pounced in his driveway in Johannesburg.

CCTV cameras showed Humbulani Aubrey Bvumbi arriving home in Bryanston in his Range Rover. A dark Alfa followed him in‚ blocking the gate as it disgorged armed attackers who approached the driver’s and passenger doors. But before they could act‚ he drew a firearm‚ blasting through the passenger door‚ sending them rushing headlong back to their getaway car. As they reversed‚ he unleashed a volley of bullets through the gate.

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4. Quick-thinking driver outwits armed robbers

A quick-thinking driver put a stop to an attempted robbery before it could even happen.

CCTV footage caught the moment the gang's vehicle screeches to a halt on a busy Johannesburg road. Their intended target makes a quick u-turn to escape. He is already speeding down the road as the hapless criminals leap out of their vehicle and try to chase him down, waving their guns in the air.

The getaway vehicle does a much slower u-turn as the driver struggles to corral the rest of the gang. Eventually they all get into the vehicle and take off.

5. Brave granny rams into dumbstruck armed hijackers

CCTV footage shows the driver of a white Jeep opening her gate and driving into the driveway. A second vehicle follows closely behind.

The driver of the first vehicle remains in the car and refuses to open her doors when three of the other car's occupants knock on her windows with guns.

Thinking quickly, she reverses into the hijackers' car and forces them to flee the scene.

6. Instant karma: Driver slams his car into would-be hijackers' vehicle

CCTV footage shows a Mercedes Benz pulling into a parking area in Johannesburg. As the car parks, an Audi also pulls in, blocking the gate.

An armed man dressed in black leaps out of the Audi and rushes towards the Mercedes driver's window, pointing his firearm at the driver. The driver was having none of it and quickly reverses, while the armed gunman tries unsuccessfully to yank on the door.

A second suspect is forced to leap out of the way as the Mercedes floors it, crashing through the narrow space between the getaway vehicle and the gate, damaging the criminal's vehicle. 

The would-be robbers are forced to flee back to their smashed-up Audi as the Mercedes drives off at top speed.