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Two police officers were shot and wounded while responding to an attempted hijacking on Main Reef Road in Johannesburg on Friday morning.
A street vendor who chose to remain anonymous said that, around 11:00, he was on the pavement packing his wares when the shooting occurred.
"I have never seen such a thing before," said the visibly shaken man.
He said he had seen men in a white sedan stopping near a silver Toyota Corolla and pulled the driver out of the car.
They shot the driver once in his leg. The hijackers, however, failed to steal the vehicle, as police responded swiftly.
'I threw myself on the ground'
"They then shot at him. I suddenly saw a marked police vehicle quickly stopping near the hijacking and two officers opened fire on the men who attempted to hijack the Corolla.
"I then threw myself on the ground, fearing to be caught in the crossfire.
"The robbers also opened fire in the direction of the police and injured one of them. Thereafter, I saw the robbers carrying guns and running in the direction of a Mercedes-Benz sedan which was nearby, attempting to hijack it. They failed to take the Mercedes-Benz and fled in the white sedan they arrived in," said the witness.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said a second officer had also been shot and wounded, but added that the information they had was still sketchy and more information would be made available later.
The two officers and the driver of the Toyota Corolla were taken to hospital.
"At the moment, we are investigating cases of attempted murder and armed robbery. We have not made any arrests and are investigating the matter," said Naidoo.
