[imagesource: YouTube/ News24]

Hijackings in South Africa are a dime a dozen, but it’s not often you see a truck involved in a high-speed chase with SAPS officers.

Residents in Porterville, which is about 145 kilometres from Cape Town’s CBD, watched as the truck sped through the streets, as sirens blared and marked vehicles followed hot on the heels.

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that a 27-year-old man stole the 29-ton Scania truck from in front of a bank in Porterville, with the vehicle left idling and the key in the ignition.

That was definitely a lapse in judgement.

News24 shared a condensed version of the footage:

From the 15-second mark above, you can see the truck avoid a rather ineffectual roadblock set up by police.

Footage of the full chase, including an examination of the truck after cops had caught the hijacker, was shared to YouTube by Francois De Jager:

Two police vehicles were damaged in the chase, and two police officers are reported to have sustained injuries after their vehicle was struck by the truck.

The suspect appeared yesterday in the Porterville magistrate’s court on Tuesday, facing a charge of theft of a motor vehicle, with the case postponed until February 9.

[source:capetownetc]