The City of Cape Town has impounded a luxury sports car involved in criminal activities.
On Friday afternoon, law enforcement officers received a tip-off that the car was in Kommetjie where they made an arrest.
Safety and Security Mayco member Alderman JP Smith said: “If you saw the McLaren around the Deep South on Friday evening under police escort, it was not a VIP. The luxury sports car was on its way to the pound.
“Earlier on Friday afternoon, members received word that the vehicle had been previously implicated in a crime originating from Boksburg in Gauteng. The vehicle was spotted on Kommetjie Road, and multiple enforcement vehicles brought the vehicle to a stop, preventing any chance of escape.
“On Tuesday afternoon, a vehicle was ‘remote-jammed’ in the Kirstenhof area, and the suspects’ vehicle was identified and circulated.
“Traffic officers in the area quickly located the vehicle in Muizenberg and tactically brought the suspects to a stop, further preventing any of the passengers from fleeing.”
Smith explained that inside the vehicle, a stolen laptop was recovered, along with several remote key fobs and remote jamming devices.
“Four suspects were taken into custody but were also found to be wanted in a Tableview criminal case from earlier this month, as well as several other cases from Eastern Cape and Port Elizabeth.
“The vehicle itself was also discovered to have been fitted with false number plates, installed over that of its original plates.”
He added that on Wednesday, members received information that a vehicle stolen previously in Delft, during December, had been seen in Constantia.
“Traffic officers from Muizenberg met up with private security in the area and approached the now parked vehicle.
“At first, the driver protested and handed the officer his driving license. After confirming the vehicle was stolen, it was determined that the driving licence itself was fake.”
The large-scale, multi-disciplinary operation between the City of Cape Town’s enforcement services and SAPS, which consisted of 56 members, held vehicle checkpoints and K78 roadblocks at various locations throughout Friday.
“Driver and vehicle screening was the focus point, with 76 warrants served, two persons arrested for outstanding warrants of arrest, with another 17 choosing to instead pay their outstanding fines after having ignored their previous summonses.
“A total of 600 vehicles were stopped, and 432 persons searched. With two vehicles suspended, 279 fines were issued under the National Road Traffic Act, and with another seven minibus taxis impounded,” explained Smith.
“During these checks, two suspects were also arrested for possession of stolen property, after having found a watch and 18 cellphones in their possession, for which they could not provide any reasonable explanation.
“As the festive season winds down, our enforcement operations across our roads will continue as we uphold our ‘zero tolerance’ approach.”