Mitchells Plain residents got a hell of a skrik on Saturday night when a grey bakkie crashed in the street.
The speeding Toyota Hilux bakkie had allegedly been hijacked earlier in Muizenberg by three men.
In Rocklands, they experienced a tyre burst, lost control and crashed in Cirrus Street just before 8pm.
However, opportunistic skelms robbed the bakkie of its contents before cops arrived.
A female resident says she heard the bakkie come to an abrupt stop just outside her house.
“The one wheel was stukkend. I do not know how they knew this bakkie was even here or how they knew there was stuff in it but people were coming from everywhere, just running away with a lot of stuff.
“I just stayed close to my house and watched these people and then I called the police.”
Some of the stolen items included laptops, shaving cream, tinned fish and earphones.
Joshua van Wyk, a Rocklands resident, said: “It was almost like the people knew this bakkie was involved in something illegal so they all ran to get stuff out of there.
“People say there was a tall guy driving and another two guys but they ran away soon after the bakkie stopped.”
Law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason says his officers were first to respond after the vehicle was traced via its tracking system.
“Officers were able to recover the vehicle and were first on the scene while SAPS officers were also present.
“The vehicle was stolen in Muizenberg, however, the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation while the suspects remain at large.”