Two cyclists, aged 30 and 31, were arrested in Honeydew north of Johannesburg on Sunday after shooting a man who was allegedly trying to steal their machines at gunpoint, police said.
Captain Tshisikhawe Ndou said the two told police they were cycling along Boundary Road around 8am when six men armed with handguns ran into the road and tried to steal their bicycles.
The cyclists were carrying their own guns and a shootout apparently ensued during which one of the alleged robbers was shot twice in the face. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition while his five companions ran away.
Ndou said police opened an attempted murder docket as a matter of procedure and the pair would spend the night in custody. They would appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday when the public prosecutor would take a decision on whether to pursue the case, Ndou said.
Police were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and appealed to anyone who might have witnessed the incident to contact the Honeydew police on 011 794 1236. – Sapa