Cape Town: Metro Police Officers arrested three men after a high-speed chase and crash in Mitchells Plain. The men are suspected of being involved in a shooting incident. The enforcement department of City of Cape Town arrested 347 people, last weekend.
Reportedly, the Metro Police Officers conducted a stop and search operation in Tafelsig on Saturday, Feb 15, 2025 when they received information about a vehicle which was involved in a shooting, earlier.
The Metro Police spotted the vehicle on Eisleben Road, where the officers attempted to stop the driver, but he refused and sped off. A high-speed chase ensued the occupants that fired multiple shots at the officers. They fired back and the suspects eventually crashed into a barrier on Duinefontein Road, near the Jakes Gerwel Bridge.
As per the sources, three suspects were apprehended and officers confiscated two pistols of 9mm Norinco Star with five live rounds of ammunition. Also, a Glock 19.9mm pistol with an extended magazine and six live rounds with their serial numbers were intacted.
In addition to this, the officers also discovered 18 spent cartridges in the vehicle. Two of the suspects sustained head injuries in the collision and received medical attention on the scene. They will be charged with reckless and negligent driving, by firing a weapon in a municipal area, considering the attempted murder, the possession of an illegal firearm and the possession of ammunition, where all three suspects, aged between 30 and 35 were detained at the Mitchells Plain SAPS.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that the officers acted on information immediately and did not hesitate when they saw the vehicle suspected of being involved in the shooting.
According to Smith the communities are plagued by proliferation of guns and indiscriminate shootings, where the criminals are getting a seemingly endless supply of guns and bullets from firearms convictions are so low in South Africa.
It is these two factors that are enabling the continued shooting and deaths of innocent residents. Since 2021, the City of Cape Town has made 1670 arrests linked to some type of illegal firearm that they are tracking (such as illegal firearms, zip guns and imitation firearm).
Smith added that they saw the same persons back on the street, serving no meaningful time in prison. They also called on the National Minister of Police to urgently intervene and initiate an investigation around the influx of ammunition to gangs and vulnerable communities.