A Facebook Marketplace deal for a generator turned into a shootout between police and suspected armed robbers in Winterveldt, north of Pretoria, on Monday, 11 August 2026.
According to police, members of the Rietgat and Loate police station Task Teams were conducting patrols in identified crime hotspots in Extension 3, Mhlaumbe, Winterveldt, when they spotted a grey Ford Ranger Raptor occupied by a white male.
The man told police he had travelled to the area to purchase a generator advertised on Facebook Marketplace. Officers warned him that the advertisement was likely a scam and that he could potentially be targeted in an armed robbery.
Police then asked the man to assist them in tracing the alleged sellers, who had not yet arrived. Two members of the Online Task Team entered the vehicle with the complainant, while other officers positioned themselves in the surrounding area.
While they were waiting, a group of unidentified men approached the vehicle. One of the suspects allegedly produced a firearm and fired shots in the direction of the police and the complainant, prompting a shootout.
The suspects fled the scene, but one was apprehended and found in possession of a firearm.
Police later received information about a patient who had sustained a gunshot wound at a clinic in Mabopane, Block U. Officers went to the clinic and confirmed that the injured man was allegedly one of the suspects who had fled the scene.
He was subsequently arrested and placed under police guard.
The investigation is continuing as police follow up on all available leads.
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