A brazen would-be hijacker was beaten and arrested by motorists after a hijacking attempt gone wrong.
The 24 year-old suspect allegedly pretended to be drunk and pelted stones at passing vehicles on the R75 near Wolwefontein at about 1 pm. He allegedly hit a side mirror of a truck transporting chickens, causing the 61-year-old driver to stop and alight from his truck.
When the drive approached the suspect the latter appeared to be drunk. The suspect then threw more stones at the driver which resulted in a fight.
The suspect assaulted the driver and left him bleeding on the side of the road before fleeing on foot. During the fight a bakkie with three occupants saw what was happening and stopped to assist.
The suspect jumped into the driver’s seat of the truck and tried to speed off but the motorists managed to pull him from the truck and arrested him, beat him and tied him up with rope.
When the police arrived the motorists had left. He was taken to Uitenhage Provincial Hospital where he is under strict police guard. He will appear in the Steytlerville Magistrate’s Court for attempted hijacking.
Police have warned drivers not to stop in incidents of stone pelting – a tactic used by criminals in an attempt to get motorists to stop. Recently some criminals were herding cattle into the road to block traffic before pouncing on unsuspecting motorists who stopped.
St Francis Chronicle 