Two robbers shot dead at Sweet 16
A sweet 16 party turned into a night of horror after two robbers who tried to hijack the party were shot dead.
|||Johannesburg - A sweet 16 birthday party turned into a night of horror after two of four armed men who tried to hijack the party were shot dead.
Four robbers broke into a Kempton Park home at 8.30pm on Saturday and pointed firearms at the revellers.
Unbeknown to them, the man of the house was a police officer, said Gauteng Police spokesman Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng.
“The police officer managed to run into the house and get his service pistol while the suspects were busy trying to group all the visitors to one place in the yard. The officer shot two suspects dead,” Mofokeng said.
The other two escaped in a black bakkie.
One of the party-goers, the officer's friend, was injured in the shoot-out.
Mofokeng said the police found 14 gun cartridges at the scene, but no firearms were found in the possession of the dead men.
The police would not name the officer, due to safety concerns for him and his family.
Mofokeng said a manhunt was under way for the men who fled the scene.
An inquest and a case of attempted armed robbery were opened at the Kempton Park police station.
In a separate incident on Saturday afternoon in Linden, an attempted house robbery turned into a shoot-out on 10th Street.
Linden police spokeswoman Constable Carol Mulamu said the house owner heard unusual sounds at around 3.30pm.
“He went outside to check and saw two males trying to derail his gate. The men fired at him and he returned fire.
“The suspects did not manage to enter the premises and fled the scene in a grey VW Polo,” she said.
No one was injured.
The police have opened a case of attempted murder and are searching for the men.
Anyone with information should contact the Linden police station or call 08600 10111.
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ilanit.chernick@inl.co.za
The Star
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