Girl, 17, arrested for discharging a firearm at cemetery

Published Jul 21, 2024

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The Gauteng Anti-Gang Unit has arrested a 17-year-old girl for discharging a firearm at a cemetery over the weekend.

The girl was taken to Walter Sisulu Juvenile Centre and police are still looking for the firearm.

She was arrested following a video which went viral on social media where she was seen firing shots at a cemetery. She was traced and arrested at her home.

Police are looking for other people over the same incident.

Meanwhile, police said a total of 63 firearms and more than 1 400 rounds of ammunition were recovered in Gauteng last week (July 15-21).

Gauteng provincial SAPS spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza on Sunday said the firearms were recovered in the five districts during various operations and stop and searches.

Kweza said among the latest incidents where firearms were recovered the anti-gang unit arrested two suspects in Westbury. The two suspects were nabbed on Friday and Saturday and were in police custody and expected to appear in court soon.

In another incident in Rosettenville, police arrested five suspects and recovered two firearms and a stolen vehicle following an attempted hijacking on Saturday. One suspect was shot dead while another was wounded.

Kweza said police members from various units including TRT, K9, counter-intelligence, security personnel including Fidelity, DPC tracking team, Tracker, CAP specialised operations and Gauteng traffic air-wing were following up information about a group of suspects who were committing armed robberies in the area.

Police came across the suspects while on patrol. A high-speed chase ensued and the police cornered the suspects in Oakdene, south of Joburg. Suspects fired shots at the police and the police retaliated.

Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni applauded the police and their crime-fighting partners and said that the community can rest assured that SAPS in Gauteng would continue to strive towards creating a safe and secure environment for all its citizens.

All the recovered firearms will be subjected to ballistic tests to determine whether they can be linked to other serious crimes.

People are urged to report crime to their nearest police station or the SAPS crime stop on 08600 10111 or alternatively leave an anonymous tip-off on MySAPS App.

The Star