Four suspected robbers were killed in a dramatic shootout with the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) in Alberton on Monday.
EMPD spokesperson Thabiso Makgato said the suspects had allegedly robbed the Dog Box Liquor Store on Kritzinger Avenue in Verwoerdpark when they met their demise.
Makgato said community members called EMPD officers who were patrolling the area.
The daring robbery unfolded in broad daylight, with five occupants of a silver Renault Triber making a hasty getaway towards the N3 north. Unbeknownst to the robbers, officers were hot on their trail.
As the suspects joined the N12 and EMPD officers initiated a high-speed pursuit, determined to arrest the suspects.
The suspects, apparently not ready to go down without a fight, opened fire at the pursuing officers. In a fierce exchange, police officers returned fire, leading to the tragic death of the suspects.
Makgao added that a fifth suspect sustained a leg injury and was promptly transported to Thelle Mokgoerane Hospital.
In another similar event, last Wednesday, five suspected cash-in-transit robbers who were wanted for a string of cash-in-transit robberies in KwaZulu-Natal were shot dead during a shootout with police at Ridgeview near Chesterville.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the suspects were wanted for a heist that happened on March 31, 2025 in KwaMashu.
Netshiunda said police were conducting an intelligence-led operation and gathered information that the suspects were planning to commit another cash-in-transit robbery in the vicinity of the iLembe District in the northern parts of KZN.
He said that during the shootout, all five suspects died on the scene, and four firearms were found in their possession.