A 27-year-old man was arrested after a vehicle with a child inside was stolen in Grabouw on Friday (6 May).
The arrest followed after the commendable joint efforts of police and crime fighting counterparts lead to the recovery of the vehicle, which was tracked and flagged down on Clarence Drive (R44) outside Gordon’s Bay.
Provincial police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said police mobilised resources after being informed the Toyota Avanza was stolen at a preschool with a two-year-old child still inside.
According to Grabouw police spokesperson Captain Raldene Atson, the motor vehicle was targeted while parked in Bos Street around 15:05. “The driver allegedly got out to fetch a child from after-care,” she said. “The vehicle was turned off with the key in the ignition and the two-year-old seated inside. While the complainant was on his way to fetch the other child the suspect jumped into the vehicle and sped off.”
According to online reports by the National Vehicle Intelligence Cloud (Navic), a detailed description of the vehicle was shared after the suspect allegedly drove off with the crying child. The information was apparently uploaded via its secure centralised licence plate recognition (LPR) camera system, which made tracking possible.
As the vehicle was travelling from Kleinmond towards the local seaside village, a joint operation was initiated with police vehicles from Somerset West, Strand, Lwandle, Grabouw, Hermanus as well as members of the Overberg flying squad and cluster reaction team, and armed response officers of the private security company, Gordon’s Bay Security (GBSec) dispatched in pursuit of the stolen vehicle.
Heyns de Waal, chief operating officer of GBSec, recalled armed-response officers responding to information received on the white “hijacked” vehicle at 15:21. De Waal said respondents initially prepared themselves to apprehend the vehicle, which was reportedly making its way towards Gordon’s Bay on the N2, then information was received that the vehicle had been tracked by the LPR cameras moving towards Hermanus. With authorities in hot pursuit in hopes of intercepting it, the vehicle’s tracking device was activated, confirming he was heading towards Kleinmond on the R44. “The last tracking signal revealed the vehicle was in Kleinmond Main Road,” De Waal related. “A roadblock was set-up, but was unsuccessful. The LPR cameras tripped again at Hangklip, direction Gordon’s Bay, placing our armed response officers along with Gordon’s Bay police on high alert. GBSec dispatched an unmarked ‘stopper’ vehicle while a road block was initiated by police just outside Gordon’s Bay. At 16:11 the hijacked vehicle passed the unmarked stopper vehicle, while I tailgated the vehicle radioing in its position. The vehicle drove into the road black successfully executed on a bend. I immediately stopped my vehicle behind the Avanza and ran for the child seated on the passenger seat.” De Waal rushed the child to the local police station, constantly assuring him he would be taken to his “mamma”.
Atson confirmed that during the well-executed and coordinated operation the vehicle was recovered and the child found unharmed.
The suspect was arrested on charges of theft of a motor vehicle and kidnapping and appeared in the Grabouw Magistrates’ Court on Monday (9 May). The suspect remains in custody until his next expected court appearance scheduled for Thursday 12 May.
