By Everson Luhanga
The suspected criminals terrorised their victims by committing violent crimes, including more than 30 murders in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg. But on Tuesday, three of the six dangerous criminals were killed when the police returned fire in a shootout.
Three others were arrested and taken into custody. None of the law enforcement officers were hurt during the shootout.
Hawks’ spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the three arrested suspects will appear in court soon.
Mogale said the Hawks and a multi-disciplinary integrated law enforcement team were involved in a shootout with the suspects at Chrisville in Booysens, southwest of the Johannesburg city centre.
“The team received information on suspects who have been terrorising the suburbs of Johannesburg committing violent crimes, including over 30 murders,” he said.
The Hawks followed up on the information and when they arrived at the identified premises, they were met with gunfire.
“The team returned fire and in the ensuing shootout three of the suspects were shot and killed and three others were apprehended. Two unlicensed firearms were recovered from the scene,” said Mogale.
The Hawks do not rule out the possibility of more suspects being arrested and linked to more crimes.
The teams involved in the shootout included SAPS Crime Intelligence, the Gauteng Traffic Saturation Unit, the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section, the Gauteng Traffic Police Airwing, CAP Specialised Operations, Tracker Connect and Badboyz Security.
Pictured above: The crime scene where three criminals were shot dead in Booysens, south of Johannesburg.
Image source: Hawks
