A young man fell victim to what is said to be an unsuccessful hijack attempt outside the Waigani Drive BSP ATM yesterday night in Port Moresby.
The incident occurred between 6-7pm whilst he was walking back to his car from the ATM.
According to police, a small group of armed men – about 8 to 10 of them – were standing around outside and waiting for the man to return to his vehicle.
They then walked up to him and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t open his vehicle.
After realising that they wanted his car, the man threw his car keys into the BSP premises, causing them to fire several shots into his vehicle.
An eyewitness told Loop PNG that police arrived just in time, resulting in the men scattering in different directions.
“One of them had a pistol in his hand and started exchanging shots with the police.”
The witness, who did not want to be named, said there were a good number of people still around at the time of the incident.
“We all dived for cover when shots were being exchanged.
“The police followed him down towards The National office, beside the road, where they shot him and he fell.”
Police have confirmed that they have captured one of the suspects, wounding him as he fell in the middle of the road, causing traffic to stop for a while.
They said the suspect is in custody while his counterparts escaped in a getaway vehicle.
(The BSP Waigani branch area where the hijack attempt occurred.)