A high-speed getaway attempt ended abruptly for two suspected car hijackers and armed robbers when they rear-ended a vehicle on the N1 just outside of Makhado (Louis Trichardt) on Tuesday morning.

According to Insp Ndwamato Vele, spokesperson for the Makhado police, the two men, both aged 26, first hijacked a car in Seshego outside Polokwane earlier the morning, from where they drove to Morebeng (Soekmekaar) where they pulled a daring armed robbery at a local supermarket just before 10:00.

As they fled with a mere R140 of stolen money, community members and the Morebeng police were quick to respond, issuing an all-stations alert to be on the lookout for the thugs.

Minutes later, the suspects’ getaway vehicle was spotted on the N1, heading towards Louis Trichardt. What followed was a high-speed chase which, at one stage, involved eight police vehicles.

As the suspects neared town, traffic started backing up and it is suspected that the armed robbers-cum-hijackers started to panic, especially as the police started catching up with them. Weaving through traffic, they miscalculated and rear-ended a vehicle opposite Makhado Park on the N1. Their vehicle spun out of control, coming to a standstill next to the road.

As the dust settled, one of the suspects tried to make a run for it, but was forced to the ground mere metres from the mangled wreck of the getaway vehicle.

The suspects were in police custody just an hour after fleeing the scene of the crime in Morebeng.

“I’ve been a policeman for many years. We were doing about 220km/h and still struggled to keep up. Even I got scared,” remarked one of the policemen who helped foil the suspects’ getaway attempt afterwards.

The police’s growing intolerance towards criminals was evident on the scene as the suspects received no sympathy from them as they lay handcuffed, bruised and bloodied, while medical personnel tended to their injuries.

The suspects, together with an injured female passenger from the vehicle they had collided with, were taken to the local hospital under close guard by members of the police. In the meantime, police recovered a 9mm pistol from the getaway vehicle said to have been used in the hijacking and armed robbery. Both suspects were later discharged and taken back to Soekmekaar, where they were locked up.

But the plot thickens...

On Wednesday, police confirmed that the two suspects were in fact released on bail on June 1, following a hijacking at Waterval. At the time of going to press, the two men were still to appear in court. Their latest crime spree is certain not to help their pending case in any way.