Police confiscated a gun from a man in Carmen Street, Scottsdene, close to where two men were killed in the area on Sunday.
Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for the City’s Law Enforcement department, said the man was arrested for the illegal possession of a firearm and five rounds of ammunition, in a joint operation between Law Enforcement and SAPS, on Wednesday April 12.
“Officers were acting on a tip-off of an armed individual in the area and made their way to the residence,” Mr Dyason said.
The suspect ran into a house and when officers gave chase he fled from the property.
“The suspect was caught in an adjacent road by the officers and brought back to the house where police officers were waiting. A search of the house revealed the firearm and ammunition and the suspect was arrested by police,” Mr Dyason said.
However, police encountered difficulty when trying to take the man into custody.
“The officers encountered resistance from some sections of the community who were intent on freeing him,” Mr Dyason said. “The officers called for urgent back-up and they could only leave the area safely with the suspect once the reinforcements arrived.”
The man was taken to Kraaifontein police station and charged.
“It is disappointing that some sections of the community choose to protect those who would do harm to that very community,” Mr Dyason said.
When the Northern News visited the area shortly after the incident occurred, residents were reluctant to talk to the press. A small crowd had gathered in front of one of the houses in Carmen Street but started scattering when the reporter started asking questions.
A woman at the scene said that a man had been arrested but agitatedly declared that no shots had been fired.
Carmen street runs into Joseph Avenue, where a man was shot dead on Sunday April 9. Within less than an hour of that shooting, another man was killed in Cavaleria Avenue, which also runs into Joseph Avenue. (“Two men shot dead in Scottsdene”, Northern News, Tuesday April 11).