The Sophiatown police in Johannesburg are investigating a case of murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery after an eHailing driver shot and killed a robber on Thursday night.
Police spokesperson Captain TJ de Bruyn said one of the two teens, aged 15, had requested a pick-up ride but then his accomplice, an 18-year-old, attempted to rob the e-hailing driver when he arrived in Claremont, in the west of Johannesburg.
De Bruyn explained: “When the driver arrived [at the location], he was approached by a young man [the 15-year-old] who had requested a ride. The young man got into the passenger seat while another one is said to have approached the vehicle from the side with a firearm pointed at the driver.”
The driver, who is a former security officer, reached out for his licenced firearm and pulled the trigger, said De Bruyn, adding that the 18-year-old suspect was hit and died on spot.
“The passenger allegedly [also] reached out for something in his pants and the driver fired another shot, seriously wounding him.”
De Bruyn said Claremont is known to be one of the hotspots in Johannesburg for Uber-related robberies and hijackings.
The shooting unfolded as e-hailing drivers had embarked on a three-day strike from Tuesday demanding that government should step in and regulate the industry.
The injured 15-year-old teenager was treated on the scene by the paramedics and later transported to Helen Joseph Hospital where he is under police guard. His 18-year-old accomplice was declared dead on the scene. Police also recovered an unlicenced firearm.
- This story has been updated to reflect that the driver in question may not have worked for Uber, as previously stated.
On Wednesday, March 31, Uber’s PR agency contacted Sunday World, saying that it hasn’t been confirmed that the driver worked for Uber.
“My name is Tiisang, I work for a PR agency representing Uber. I am writing with regards to the article that you posted this past weekend, Uber driver guns down teen, injures accomplice after attempted robbery on Sunday World. Can you please share the name of the driver as well as the licence plate of the vehicle, we would like to confirm if the driver is on the Uber platform. In the interim can we please remove Uber from the heading of the article, until it is confirmed that the driver is indeed a driver on the Uber platform,” read Uber’s response.
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