At least 100 shots were fired during this morning’s shoot-out between the police and suspected house robbers, said neighbours who had witnessed the incident.
Five suspects were killed and two officers injured during a botched house robbery in Humber Crescent, Riverside, Durban North, said police spokesman Colonel Vincent Mdunge.
One robber was arrested.
The street, with very secure, fenced houses, was a frenzy this morning as neighbours came out to have a look at the suspects who were slumped inside and outside the green and white bakkie they had been travelling in. They had been dressed as painters.
Mdunge said one suspect had escaped, but police were hot on his heels. He said members of the Crime Intelligence Unit had received information about the planned robbery and a sting operation was planned.
While the officers were on their way to the house, they spotted the suspects in the van. “The police tried to pull them over, but they fired shots at the police and our members fired back,” he said.
Neighbours who had witnessed the shoot-out described it as a scene from a wild west movie.
“I was in my yard when I heard the gunshots – there were about 100. I peeped out of the gate to have a look and I saw a group of men dressed in blue overalls with firearms firing at police.
“That’s when I ran into my home,” said a neighbour, who would not be named.
The targeted house owner, a businessman, said he was at work when he received a frantic call from his wife, informing him about the shoot-out.
“My wife was alone and she was hysterical, but she had managed to press the panic button.
“When she called me she said she could see police shooting. I rushed back to the house and I was confronted by all the commotion.”
The house owner also commended the police. “I’m happy that my wife was not injured in all of this,” he said. - Daily News
