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SAPS members arrested after gun battle in foiled Bryanston heist

Paul Ash Senior reporter
SAPS members were arrested after a failed heist in Bryanston on Saturday night.. File photo.
SAPS members were arrested after a failed heist in Bryanston on Saturday night.. File photo.
Image: Reuben Goldberg

A detective sergeant and a police administration clerk were arrested after a failed heist that ended in a hail of bullets in Bryanston, Johannesburg, on Saturday night.

The two SAPS members, stationed at Kempton Park and Springs, were among 11 suspects detained during the foiled robbery at a diamond outlet.

Acting on a tip-off, law-enforcement officials from various units including national crime intelligence, the Joburg flying squad, K9 unit, metro police and the tactical response unit, had staked out the premises from midday, said police spokesperson Col Brenda Muridili.

At around 8.30pm the observation team saw three vehicles, including a marked SAPS bakkie, arrive at the location.

The suspects began shooting at the approaching police who returned fire, wounding two suspects in the legs.

None of the SAPS members were injured but three police vehicles were riddled with bullets, said Muridili.

Three unlicensed firearms — a rifle and two pistols — were seized along with two vehicles.

The suspects are due to appear in the Randburg magistrate's court on Tuesday  on numerous charges including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

On Friday, the multidisciplinary team also arrested four suspects believed to be part of a syndicate linked to a string of robberies involving courier vehicles.

The suspects were apprehended while en route to commit a robbery in Fourways, according to another tip-off received from Crime Intelligence.

The four suspects were found with two unlicensed firearms, a jammer and a Toyota Prado that had been hijacked earlier in Eldorado Park.

The unlicensed firearms will be subjected to ballistic tests to determine whether they have been used in other crimes.

The arrested police members will also be subjected to a departmental disciplinary investigation.

TimesLIVE

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