A truck driver tragically lost his life following a gruesome collision involving the hijacked vehicle of a police officer.
The three hijackers were also killed after the stolen vehicle was crushed on impact.
Police say the incident happened on Monday afternoon around 5pm on Baden Powell Drive near Rocklands in Mitchells Plain when three men hijacked a cop’s car and then crashed into the truck.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg reports that Mitchells Plain police registered four counts of culpable homicide.
Twigg says: “According to reports, two off-duty police officials were at Monwabisi beach when the vehicle they were sitting in was hijacked. The suspects fled the scene and collided with a truck.
“Three suspects and the truck driver were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.”
Truck driver Adam Filander, 54, was killed, while his two co-workers survived and were rushed to hospital.
A neighbourhood watch member says she heard the crash of the collision at her home which is close to Baden Powell Drive.
The witness says: “We are close to the beach. I heard the bang and thought it was something that fell [onto the road].
“And then after 6pm our controller told us to go down to Baden Powell Drive, we got there and good grief!
“The three hijackers had just taken the car from a police lady who they threw out of the car.
“The LEAP officers were alerted and they gave chase. The hijackers tried to overtake a car, knocked it and the suspects spun and landed in front of the oncoming truck.”
The woman describes the scene as gruesome: “The police and forensics spent the night looking for body parts, we were there from 6pm until midnight.
“I’ve seen lots of bodies as a neighbourhood watch member but this accident scene was bad.
“The car was split into two, one part of the car was under the truck, that is where the driver of the hijacked vehicle was found and his body looked mangled.
“But the body of the trucker was still intact, the two who were in the truck were taken to hospital.”
Filander’s devastated sister-in-law Maureen Juries tells the Daily Voice: “What we know as the family is that he was in an accident which involved a white VW Polo.
“The hijackers were fleeing from the police but they ended up driving into the truck.
“This is a huge shock to us and his wife because we knew that he was at work. His wife was expecting him to come home but he never arrived. They have two kids, both daughters, and four grandchildren, two girls and two boys.”
His emotional daughter Tania Filander adds: “He was a very good father, husband and grandpa to all of us.
“We will miss him dearly. He was very humble and calm. And his favourite phrase was ‘daai’s die ding’.”