TWO MEN are dead and another in critical condition in hospital after a shootout with police following a high-speed car chase early on Sunday morning.
The men were suspects in a number of armed robberies and had earlier stolen a car. The shootout took place on Balfour and Claridge Roads.
According to police reports, shortly after 5am, a man was driving in his white Honda Fit on East Street near Robinson Road, when three males, two of whom were armed with handguns and another with a knife, robbed him of his car and drove off.
Police immediately sent out an All-Points Bulletin (APB) for the vehicle. Officers on patrol then spotted the car in the Robinson Road area. A chase ensued that ended on Balfour and Claridge Roads, where the vehicle crashed into a utility pole.
Three male suspects got out and opened fire on police. Police returned fire, fatally shooting two of the suspects. The other was rushed to hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Police recovered the stolen vehicle, two handguns and a knife from the scene.
Police suspect the three males to be responsible for a number of armed robberies over the past weeks and confirmed that one of the suspects is being electronically monitored and is on bail for a serious offence.
The Coroner, Jeanine Weech-Gomez, visited the scene and is now leading the investigation.
