By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
A father shot at alleged carjackers trying to hijack his vehicle with his children inside in a tense shoot-out in South Africa.
The currently unnamed man was seen in harrowing dash-cam footage firing from his driving seat as he tried to pull out of his drive in Durban on October 9.
A white vehicle had pulled up ahead of him moments before, with two men running out quickly and beginning shooting, as the car drives off from Lea Place in Pinetown.
The driver had been speaking and laughing beforehand with his young daughter, sat in the passenger seat, and his son, who was stood by the gate, when he becomes aware of the men dashing towards his car.
One of the alleged carjackers is said to have run up to the son by the gate, according to local media, although this is unconfirmed.
Within seconds, he twisted and pulled out his own gun, firing off at least 26 bullets at the men off-camera and killed one of the alleged carjackers.
In the footage, the daughter can be seen cowering in her seat, folded forward, as the father appears to use his body to cover her own.
The brother then helps the young woman out the car when the shoot-out is over.
A father shot at alleged carjackers trying to hijack his vehicle with his children inside in a tense shoot-out in South Africa
The driver had been speaking and laughing beforehand with his young daughter, sat in the passenger seat, when he becomes aware of the men dashing towards his car
A white vehicle had pulled up ahead of him moments before, with two men running out quickly and begin shooting, as the car drives off from Lea Place in Pinetown
While the men were firing at each other, the man's car continued to roll forward until it crashed into a tree, smashing the windscreen.
Car hijacking occurs when armed robbers storm a vehicle, catching drivers off-guard, and threaten them with violence to let them steal the car.
In South Africa, vehicle hijackings have increased in recent years and are organised as a business, with the stolen vehicles often smuggled out of the country to a predetermined buyer.
The footage was first shared with Arrive Alive, a road safety organisation based in South Africa, who said that the large number of stolen firearms in the country make hijacking an easy crime to commit.
Highway Mail said that Pinetown police have opened three cases into attempted murder, attempted carjacking and an inquest following the shooting.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza reportedly said: 'The suspects opened fire, and the victim retaliated, fatally wounding one of the suspects. The remaining suspects fled the scene in their vehicle.'