Tracker helps bring down man on a shooting rampage

Tracker helps bring down man on a shooting rampage
- alleged shooter told his father he was about to 'start shooting people'

A man in his late twenties was arrested at approximately 21h00 last night (May 4, 2008) in Mabopane after he is alleged to have gone on a shooting rampage in the Pretoria area leaving at least one man dead and two women in hospital.

The drama began when Tracker received a call at approximately 20h30 from a customer in Soshanguwe asking for help as he believed his son had stolen his vehicle. While Tracker was in the process of activating his Tracker, the customer called back and explained that he had received a call from his son who confirmed he had taken the car and further claimed that he was armed and was planning to 'start shooting people'. The father then also revealed that he had just received word that his brother had been shot, allegedly by his son, and explained that he was on his way to the hospital to check on his brother's condition.

"Our National Control Centre then contacted the customer to update him on his vehicle's activation when they learnt that the man's brother had died in hospital,' says Gareth Crocker, Tracker's Communications Manager.

It's believed the son then drove to a girlfriend's home where he allegedly fired a number of rounds through the front door, injuring both the young woman and her mother. There was also apparently a child in the house, who was thankfully unharmed. Both women were taken to hospital in a stable condition.

Tracker, together with the SAPS Flying Squad and the Pretoria Metro Police Dog Unit, then tracked the vehicle to an open veld behind a large fuel station in Mabopane.

"Our Tracker recovery crew has informed us that as police approached the vehicle the man allegedly tried to shoot them, but it appears his gun jammed. The police then pulled the man out the car and arrested him. There was a severely traumatized young woman in the vehicle with him who alleges that she was a witness to the shootings and claimed that the man had told her that he was going to kill her and then turn the gun on himself," says Crocker.

The man has been arrested on multiple charges including murder, attempted murder, vehicle theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

"We are very proud that Tracker was able to play its part in bringing down this man before he could continue his alleged shooting rampage. We would also like to praise the SAPS Pretoria Flying Squad and the Pretoria Metro Police Dog Unit who acted with immense courage in arresting the alleged shooter," says Crocker.