Durban policemen wounded in shootout with hijackers

Two policemen were wounded during a shootout with suspected hijackers in a Durban suburb on Saturday.

Police spokesman Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the Inanda cluster task team were conducting an operation in Newlands West early on Saturday morning when they were approached by a youngster who informed them that his mother had been hijacked in the driveway of their home.

It is alleged that four men allegedly held the 45-year-old woman and her sister at gunpoint, before assaulting them with  firearms and making off with their car and valuables.

"While police officers were taking information from the informant, the vehicle passed the police officers at a very high speed.

"Police chased the vehicle and realised that it was the same vehicle that was hijacked," said Mbele.

A shootout between police and the men ensued in which two officers were wounded.

The suspects managed to escape, but one was arrested by other policemen who responded to the shooting.

Three men, according to Mbele, managed to evade arrest.

Police recovered the hijacked vehicle.

"The arrested suspect will be charged for carjacking and two counts of attempted murder.

"He will appear in court soon. Police with the K9 Unit are still searching for the three suspects. The injured police officers were taken to hospital for medical attention," said Mbele.