Pretoria, South Africa— A motorist was shot and wounded Thursday night when a spiking gang targeted his vehicle on the N1 highway in an attempted armed robbery.
The attack happened around 9:40 p.m. between the Carousel Toll Plaza and Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. The driver, a 42-year-old man traveling alone to Limpopo, hit metal spikes laid across the left lane. Both front tires burst. He slowed to a stop.
Four men came from the bush along the highway. They were armed with pistols and knives. They ordered the driver out. He resisted and tried to lock the doors. One gunman fired through the driver window, hitting him in the shoulder.
The shot alerted other motorists. A truck driver behind flashed his lights and hooted. The gang fled without taking the car. The wounded driver managed to drive about 200 meters before stopping again.
"I was bleeding but I knew I could not stay there. They would come back," the victim told paramedics, according to a traffic officer who was first on scene. He was taken to a private hospital in Pretoria in stable condition.
The N1 is a known hotspot for spiking gangs. The method is simple. Criminals place sharpened steel, often welded rebar, on the road. Cars stop. Robbery follows. Murders have happened. Arrive Alive has logged 47 such incidents on the N1 this year.
Police and private security companies patrol the stretch, but coverage is thin at night. Gangs work in small groups and hide in dense bush that lines the highway.
The South African Police Service opened cases of attempted murder and armed robbery. No arrests have been made. Officers recovered spikes and a blood trail leading into the bush.
Authorities urged motorists not to stop if they hit spikes. They should drive slowly to the nearest petrol station or police presence, even on flat tires.
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