Two suspects were shot dead following a high-speed chase that ended at the intersection of Wentworth's Tara and Badulla roads, south of the Durban Central Business District on Thursday.
Officers were believed to be tracing a vehicle suspected of being linked to criminal activities when the suspects spotted the police and drove off.
"The vehicle was spotted along Tara Road. With initial investigations revealing that the vehicle was reported hijacked in Malvern earlier this month, police signalled for the vehicle to stop," said KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
He explained that the suspects failed to stop, leading to a high-speed chase in which a pedestrian was knocked over by the suspects' vehicle.
Netshiunda said the occupants of the vehicle fired shots at police who shot back.
"During the shootout, police vehicle crashed into a railway track and got stuck, but that did not stop the dedicated police officers who pursued the suspects on foot, until the suspect's vehicle came to a standstill after it also crashed," he said.
Two men were fatally wounded outside the vehicle.
Netshiunda said no police officers were injured during the chase or subsequent shootout after.
A case of attempted murder has been opened for investigation.
IOL News