A suspect is in custody after the Gauteng highway patrol was alerted to an attempted armed robbery of a guest near a hotel in Sandton on Thursday afternoon.
The unit was joined by Johannesburg metro police and private security to trace the suspects, who were in a white Toyota Corolla. The car was sighted in Katherine Street with three occupants.
Police said the team attempted to stop the vehicle but it sped away and a chase ensued. With the team in pursuit, two suspects jumped out of the vehicle and fled on foot.
The team continued to chase the vehicle, which bumped into a truck and came to a halt. The driver of the vehicle got out and tried to run but the police gave chase and caught him a few metres from the scene.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of two unlicensed pistols, ammunition and gloves. The vehicle had been hijacked in Daveyton in February.
The suspect will face charges of possession of a hijacked vehicle, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition and reckless and negligent driving. Tracing the two escaped suspects is under way.
Four suspected robbers arrested
The Johannesburg metro police department was on Thursday night also involved in the arrest of four suspected robbers.
Working with police, the unit responded to an alert to be on the lookout for three vehicles used in the commission of a business robbery.
Two vehicles matching the descriptions were spotted at the Nasrec Road and M1 South on ramp.
The vehicles were stopped and, after a search, the men were charged with illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
TimesLIVE
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