An off-duty KwaZulu-Natal police officer got the better of two alleged hijackers after he encountered them in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, police said on Tuesday.
The unnamed officer was driving his car in Dazi Meyiwa Road, Section 10, when he witnessed group of armed men hijack a white Nissan Tiida, police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said.
Gwala said that the escaping assailants had "bumped" into the officer's car. She said one of the men pointed a firearm at the officer and ordered him out of his vehicle.
"A shootout ensued between the police officer and the suspects. Two suspects, believed to be in their thirties, died at the scene. Investigations revealed that the suspects [earlier] committed a robbery at a local tuck shop and took an undisclosed amount of cash."
Gwala said police had recovered an unlicensed firearm, with five rounds of ammunition, and a toy gun. Cash taken during the robbery was also retrieved from the dead suspects, she said.
Charges of armed robbery, carjacking, attempted murder, attempted carjacking, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition were being investigated by KwaMakhutha police, she added.
It is believed that the same gang had entered a house on Friday, March 23, where they tied up the occupants with ropes, before assaulting and robbing them.