Tracker amazed by the arrest of hijacker on crutches

From naught to caught in 10 minutes - Tracker crew amazed by the arrest of a hijacker on crutches

In what ranks as one of Tracker's quickest and most bizarre arrest incidents, two alleged hijackers have this morning (April 3, 2008) been caught in the Western Cape within 10 minutes of the vehicle's Tracker being activated, one of whom was found hobbling around the vehicle on crutches.

The hijacking occurred in Sir Louries, between Somerset West and Strand, at approximately 06h00 after the driver of a minibus was ambushed by a group of five men and thrown from his vehicle. He managed to contact Tracker shortly thereafter and within minutes, the SAPS Nyanga National Crime Combating Unit, supported by Tracker crews, recovered the vehicle and made two arrests only a few kilometers away from where the hijacking took place.

When the SAPS and Tracker crews arrived on the scene, they were amazed to find one of the alleged hijackers on crutches, who appeared to have a broken leg, removing stickers off the vehicle. The man, who is thought to have been in the getaway car, together with his alleged accomplice, were quickly arrested.

"It's particularly rewarding for us when our technology directly results in quick arrests. In just over a decade Tracker's technology, together with the support of the SAPS, has resulted in more than 7000 arrests, which is equal to the entire inmate population of a large South African prison," says Tracker's Communications Manager, Gareth Crocker.

A second vehicle, allegedly used as the 'getaway car' in the hijacking, was also recovered from the scene. It's believed the bakkie was hijacked on Monday in the Kleinvlei area.

"It's quite remarkable that one of the suspects chose to continue hijacking despite being on crutches, suggesting how desperate many of these criminals are becoming. Together with the police, we currently arrest more than 20 hijackers and vehicle thieves a week," says Crocker.

Crocker also paid tribute to the courage of both members of the SAPS and vehicle tracking crews.

"We are always extremely relieved when we make arrests and no shots are fired, but this is not always the case. As recently as this week, one of our Tracker crew members was shot in the arm as they tracked down heavily armed hijackers. But we remain undeterred in our fight against vehicle crime and believe that we are making significant inroads in this regard," says Crocker.

Police are currently on the scene, continuing with their investigation.