Five members of an alleged crowbar gang met their match when cops cornered them after they tried to break into a house.
The skelms were shot and wounded by wakker police in Belhar on Wednesday as they tried to flee.
Police sources reveal a specialised unit responded to a robbery in progress.
The source says cops used R5 rifles to shoot at the skelms who all survived.
Police say the skelmsare part of a crowbar syndicate targeting homes in the Belhar area.
The drama unfolded on Wednesday just after 3pm when the robbers allegedly attempted breaking into a house in Commerce Way, Belhar.
“These guys tried breaking into a house and we do not know if the alarm was triggered, but they fled,” says the source.
According to police spokesperson, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana, police members received a complaint of housebreaking at Commerse Way in old Belhar.
"They spotted a vehicle driving recklessly and followed it. The information indicated that this vehicle had been involved in a housebreaking incident in Belhar. Soon one of the suspects jumped out the vehicle with a firearm in his hand. A shooting ensued, during which four suspects were shot and wounded. They were transported to hospital for treatment under police guard," said Rwexana.
The suspects are aged between 18 and 22 years old, and once they are charged they will appear in the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court where they will be facing charges of housebreaking and theft.
The Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape applauded the police involved on their swift action.
Cops confirm the men were shot in the legs.
Moses Dlamini, spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), confirms the incident but says police are still obtaining information about it.
“We received a telephonic report that the police were chasing the ‘crowbar’ gang which is responsible for house breakings,” says Dlamini.
“The matter that will be investigated is the discharge of police firearms. I don’t have anything more than this.”