A suspected hijacker was shot by National Intervention Unit (NIU) officers in Johannesburg on Friday evening after allegedly attempting to steal a vehicle assigned to the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
The incident occured along Empire Road, where NIU members were conducting routine patrols as part of tightened security measures for the high-level summit of world leaders.
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said the man jumped onto the road and pointed a firearm at the driver of a vehicle hired for G20 operations, unaware the occupants were elite NIU officers.
“One of the NIU members fired a shot towards the suspect and he sustained a gunshot wound to the upper body,” Mathe said.
Police later discovered the weapon used by the alleged hijacker was an imitation firearm.
He was transported to hospital under guard and will be charged with attempted hijacking once declared fit to appear in court.
“The possession of an imitation firearm with the intention to commit an offence, such as hijacking, as well as pointing at a person anything which is likely to lead a person to believe that it is a firearm constitutes an offence in terms of the Firearms Control Act,” Mathe said.
With world leaders arriving for the summit, NatJoints warned that law enforcement agencies would respond firmly to any attempts to undermine security.
TimesLIVE
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