PORT ALFRED - SHOOTOUT STOPS POTENTIAL FARM ATTACK ON ELDERLY COUPLE

A man suspected of being part of a gang planning to rob an elderly couple on a farm outside Port Alfred early yesterday morning was shot in a gun battle with police.

The wounded man and three accomplices were arrested following the dawn shootout on the outskirts of the seaside resort.

A police statement yesterday said the men were suspected of involvement in a hijacking and murder case near Peddie last Saturday.

The alleged attack on Cecil, 69, and Jan Cave Brown, 63, was foiled after police received intelligence that a gang was planning to rob the couple on their Kingsmead cattle farm near Fish River and contacted local Panther farm security expert Dudley Waters to work together to prevent it.

Cecil Cave Brown yesterday praised local police and Waters for teaming up to prevent the attack.

Cave Brown said they realised something was wrong when geese on the farm made a noise and a watchdog barked just before midnight on Monday.

He said footprints, a pair of rubber gloves and four lengths of rope were found near the house when Waters went to investigate.

Local police spokesman Lieutenant Luvuyo Mjekula yesterday said good team work between Port Alfred cluster police, Motherwell crime intelligence and Panther Security thwarted the alleged farm attack.

A statement said police set up a sting operation after they received a tip off.

According to Mjekula, police spotted a blue Toyota Corolla near the farm and stopped and searched it at about 10pm.

He said they questioned the driver, who had a three-year-old child in the car with him, and discovered he had just dropped off three men at the farm.

“Police arranged for the child to be removed and handed over to his mother,” a statement said. “After questioning the man and visiting the farm, police released him as they could not link him to a crime at the time.”

The statement said police later received more information about the planned attack and set up a roadblock on the outskirts of Port Alfred.

“At about 5am the same vehicle they had stopped earlier approached and as the members shouted and flagged the driver to stop, gunshots were fired from the vehicle.”

Police returned fire and the vehicle stopped. Three men emerged unharmed while a fourth suspect was hit in the shoulder.

“Police noticed that the injured man was the same driver they had earlier questioned and released.”

A 9mm Norinco pistol and live ammunition was found in the vehicle. The injured man was taken to hospital and is under police guard.

Mjekula said the men will appear in court shortly.

Waters, who provides security to 85 farms in the district, yesterday said he hid his vehicle and waited in the house with the couple.

“The police were in constant contact all the time.”

VIA - dispatchlive.co.za