Thanks to the assistance of a community member‚ a 37-year-old suspect was arrested in Nyanga near Cape Town shortly after he and his accomplices hijacked a delivery vehicle with a cargo of liquor on Saturday morning‚ Western Cape police said.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut said a vigilant motorist had witnessed the hijacking in Govan Mbeki Road in Philippi and flagged down a police patrol.

“The motorist accompanied SAPS and shortly afterwards the vehicle was spotted in Browns Farm. The suspects stopped the vehicle and fled further on foot while one of them fired shots at police‚ fortunately missing the members.

He was arrested and his firearm was confiscated. The stolen vehicle was also recovered‚” Traut said.

“While the suspect is scheduled to make a court appearance in Athlone on Monday‚ we are in hot pursuit of the other two who managed to evade their arrest‚” he added.

“We are grateful for the assistance we receive from the public to fight crime and community partnerships are highly valued‚” Traut said.