Attempted Carjacking in South Africa: Father Returns Fire, One Attacker Dead

A video of an attempted carjacking in Pinetown, South Africa, has been spreading online since Thursday, October 22. It shows a father shooting at armed men who had blocked him and his two children in front of their own property. According to police, one of the suspected attackers was fatally wounded; the father and his children were unharmed.

The attack took place on the evening of October 9 in Pinetown, a suburb in the greater Durban area in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. According to police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza, a white vehicle carrying unidentified men blocked the father and his two children as they were leaving their property. The suspects reportedly fired first, and the man returned fire.

The remaining suspects fled, Magwaza said. South African police opened cases of attempted murder and attempted carjacking, as well as an investigation into the suspect's death. Police have not confirmed the figure of three attackers killed that has circulated on social media.

Shots fired from the pickup window

The dashcam footage shows the father driving out of the driveway in a white pickup truck, known in South Africa as a "bakkie," with his daughter in the passenger seat, while his son stands at the gate. A white car slowly approaches, stops and blocks the way. Several men get out and run toward them. The camera's timestamp shows about 8:05 p.m. local time.

According to the portal Swisher Post, there were three armed men. One reportedly ran to the son and held a gun to his head, while another shot at the driver. The father is said to have immediately drawn his own firearm, fired out of the window and shielded his daughter in the process.

The pickup reportedly rolled forward, and the windshield shattered. Amid further gunfire, the son is said to have pulled his sister out of the passenger seat. Around 25 or more shots were reportedly fired in about 30 seconds. The vehicle was hit by numerous bullets.

The account VehicleTracker8 posted the dashcam footage on X.

Security firm calls father a hero

Attacks on motorists are common in South Africa: according to data from the South African Police Service (SAPS), thousands of vehicles are stolen there every quarter, often at gunpoint. KwaZulu-Natal is heavily affected. Under South African law, self-defense is permitted when an unlawful attack is imminent and the response is necessary and proportionate.

Andreas Mathios, a spokesman for the security company Marshall Security, called the father a hero. The man acted exemplarily, he said: he first protected his family and then returned fire in textbook fashion.