Man points gun at police before running away

Two firearms were recovered and one man arrested in separate incidents in Motherwell and Kwazakhele over the last three days.

The latest incident happened shortly before 1am on Monday.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said a stolen 9mm pistol was recovered in Gotyiba Street, NU11, Motherwell.

Beetge said police members attached to the Motherwell Cluster Operational Command Centre were patrolling when they spotted a man and woman walking in Gotyiba Street.

“As the police van approached, the man pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the police members. The members responded by jumping out of the van and giving chase after the man.

"Several shots were fired at the suspect who in turn threw the firearm on the ground and ran between the houses,” he said.

“The firearm was found with its serial number removed and will be sent for forensic and ballistic testing.”

Beetge said no ammunition was inside the firearm at the time of the shooting.

In another incident on Saturday, a 28-year-old man was arrested after police found a stolen firearm stashed in his pants.

“Police were patrolling the area and stopped a man standing in Meke Street in Kwazakhele. They searched him and found a stolen 9mm pistol with eight rounds of ammunition,” he said.

Beetge said a preliminary investigation revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen in Kirkwood in February 2015.

The man is due to appear in the New Brighton Magistrate's Court on Monday.