At approximately 04:45 this morning, while conducting routine patrols along Peter Mokaba Road in Morningside, Marshall Security Special Operation Team members observed a silver Chery Tiggo behaving suspiciously.
As the occupants became aware of the patrol presence, they immediately fled at high speed. Members also noticed based on the behaviour of the occupants that these could be the suspects that’s been linked to numerous motor vehicle theft cases in the Berea and Durban Central areas.
A pursuit was initiated.
During the pursuit, the suspects escalated the situation by opening fire at responding members.
Members return fire in self-defence and tried to disable the suspects vehicle. Despite this, the suspects continued to flee, leading members on a prolonged chase through the Morningside area.
The pursuit came to an end at a garage on Florida Road, where the suspect vehicle was brought to a stop. Five suspects exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
Members acted immediately and successfully apprehended three suspects, while two suspects managed to evade arrest.
A search of the vehicle revealed numerous house break-in implements,car break-in implements, false number plates and computer boxes to steal motor vehicles.
The suspects were handed over to Berea SAPS for further investigation and processing.
Further investigation established that the suspects arrested are also linked to an earlier incident on Wallace Road in Morningside, where a security guard was held up at gunpoint and assaulted during an attempted theft of a Toyota Corolla.
The arrest of these suspects highlights the dangers officers face, as well as the importance of rapid response, coordinated pursuit, and decisive action in disrupting organised vehicle theft operations.
Marshall Security remains committed to proactive patrols, rapid response, and working closely with SAPS to combat serious crime and protect communities across Durban, with a sincere thank you to Durban Central SAPS and Berea SAPS for their assistance and backup during this incident.
