[imagesource: News24]
Several new details about that deadly “warzone” shootout in Rosettenville, Johannesburg that happened on Monday afternoon have come to light via a crime report from the Independent Police Directorate (Ipid).
The most alarming fact is that one of the eight suspects who died during the commotion turned out to be a former SA military officer.
Different police units and forces had received intel that the gang of around 25 were operating from one of the houses on Friars Hill Road in Rosettenville and reportedly rushed to the scene, in cars and in choppers, to intercept the alleged planning of the next cash-in-transit heist.
What unfolded was a massive shootout from the sky to the ground across five different crime scenes with suspects being shot down while running and escaping all over the show, according to Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa via TimesLIVE:
“The chopper was hovering above the safe house while other members took positions on the ground. When the suspects noticed the chopper they started shooting at the police chopper and the police on the chopper retaliated by shooting back at the suspects.
Some suspects even jumped over the walls into neighbouring houses, with five suspects holding the occupants of a Hakka Road house hostage:
“As the members went into this house, the shoot-out continued. The suspects were overpowered and the police managed to apprehend 10 of them, two of whom were wounded and taken to hospital under police guard,” Langa said.
Meanwhile, suspects were fleeing in all directions, including in a hijacked white VW Polo Vivo, which was being chased down by backup police vehicles.
More shooting and apprehending occurred, with eight suspects shot dead, 10 arrested, and three police officers injured, one having died in hospital.
IOL has slightly different numbers, reporting on “five crime scenes, nine high calibre firearms, 10 stolen high-performance vehicles, at least 10 alleged cash-in-transit robbers shot dead and one police officer fatally wounded”.
Yesterday’s Rossetenville shooting. Vehicles used by the gang and recovered. pic.twitter.com/wIdMwsdJOE
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) February 22, 2022
Apparently, 10 high-performance vehicles that were all stolen and had false registration numbers, as well as six AK-47 machine guns, three rifles, 350 bullets, and explosives, were seized across the five crime scenes.
It has proven to be quite the operation.
At the moment, a manhunt is underway to apprehend the remaining suspects.
