A Sebokeng police shootout left two suspected hijackers dead after a high-speed chase with Gauteng police, according to SAPS and local media reports. Officers later recovered a firearm and explosives from the suspects’ vehicle, which police said had been reported stolen in Carletonville in January 2026.

The incident unfolded on Houtkop Road in Sebokeng, where members of Gauteng’s Tactical Response Team were on patrol. Police said they tried to stop a suspicious vehicle fitted with false registration plates, but the driver sped off and a chase followed.

Sebokeng police shootout followed patrol stop attempt

Police said the Sebokeng police shootout began after Tactical Response Team members spotted a vehicle they suspected had been hijacked. According to SAPS, officers established that the car was allegedly stolen and was displaying false number plates before trying to pull it over.

SAPS said the driver did not stop when officers activated their sirens. Instead, the vehicle sped away, and the suspects allegedly opened fire on police during the chase. Officers returned fire, and the pursuit ended when the fleeing vehicle lost control and overturned.

Both suspects were declared dead at the scene, according to police. One of the men allegedly tried to run from the wreckage before collapsing a short distance away.

Firearm and explosives recovered after chase

After the Sebokeng police shootout, officers searched the overturned vehicle and recovered a firearm and explosives, police said. The items were seized for further investigation, while the vehicle was linked to a hijacking case opened in Carletonville in January 2026.

The recovery of explosives is likely to sharpen the investigation, although police have not yet publicly identified the suspects or disclosed the type of explosives found. For now, the confirmed facts remain limited to what SAPS has placed on record through its spokesperson and what has been reported by local media.

Police say investigation is continuing

Police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said officers had picked up “a suspected hijacked vehicle with false registration numbers” while patrolling Houtkop Road. She added that police seized “a firearm from the suspects and explosives that were found inside the vehicle for further investigations,” according to Jacaranda FM’s report.

SAPS said the investigation is continuing.