Stellenbosch cop killed while chasing wanted man
The shooting happened after the gang had allegedly robbed a farm near Vlottenburg in the Western Cape.
A 31-year-old police constable from Stellenbosh was shot and killed while chasing a wanted robbery suspect on Wednesday night.
Western Cape police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk said that the constable was from the Stellenbosch Crime Prevention Unit and was involved in a shooting at about 9.50pm.
Van Wyk said that the chase started following a tip off of a planned house robbery on a farm in the Stellenbosch area.
“At that stage the farm was not known to police. The information was followed up by cluster detectives and Stellenbosch police Crime Prevention Unit members and the area was [being] patrolled when the suspects were spotted.
"Members from Stellenbosch Crime Prevention Unit pursued a suspect, and during a shooting incident a police officer was fatally wounded,” he said.
“It was then established that the house robbery was indeed committed at 8pm at a farm near Vlottenburg.”
Van Wyk said that the suspects managed to evade an arrest and the Hawks have taken over the probe.