There was chaos in Belhar on Thursday when cops pounced on eight suspects near the Airport Mall on the corner of Stellenbosch Arterial and Belhar Drive.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says Flying Squad members noticed a suspicious Nissan bakkie at the intersection of the mall at 10.30am and it was discovered that the vehicle was stolen in Harare, Khayelitsha, earlier this year.
“At an intersection in Belhar, eight suspects jumped out of a Nissan LDV and ran in different directions after members stopped behind it,” he says.
“All suspects were apprehended.
“One suspect ran over a busy intersection onto a field and was chased by a member of Maitland Flying Squad.
“The suspect fired numerous shots at the member who returned fire and wounded the suspect.
“The injured suspect was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment under police guard.
“Members seized the firearm from the injured suspect and an imitation firearm was seized from one of the other suspects.”
The captain added that the suspects are aged between 18 and 34 and were arrested on charges of attempted murder, theft of motor vehicle and the possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Residents said when they saw all the commotion, they assumed it was a cash in transit van that was being robbed and that one of the suspects was killed by the police following a shootout, however, those reports proved to be untrue.
An employee at Airport Mall said: “It was mad here. You just saw people running from the police and then you heard shots going off.
“One of the guys almost got knocked over a paar times by cars as he tried to run away.”