Police shoot suspected vehicle thief in Hoima

Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  A suspected vehicle thief is nursing a bullet wound after being shot by police in Hoima city. Moses Tugume, a resident of Hoima City was shot in the leg around 6 pm Tuesday evening  in connection to the theft of a Spacio vehicle registration number UBA 535B from Fort-portal on March 19, 2021.  

The vehicle belongs to Ali Kayondo, a resident of Fort portal town.  Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region Police spokesperson told Uganda Radio Network on Wednesday afternoon that they were alerted by their counterparts in Fort-portal about the theft of the vehicle prompting them to launch an operation.     

He says that the vehicle was sighted at one of the washing Bays in Duhaga in Hoima west Division Hoima City on Tuesday prompting police officers to swing into action and raided the washing bay.

Upon citing detectives, Tugume drove off at a very terrible speed prompting the officers to fire live bullets in the air to scare him and in the process hit him in the leg. According to Hakiza, Tugume stopped after being hit and was arrested and whisked off to Hoima Central Police station before being transferred to Hoima Regional Referral hospital for treatment.

He says the officers also recovered the stolen vehicle, which is now packed at Hoima CPS.

He says that the suspect had changed the number plate of the vehicle and replaced it with a fake number UAL 255T. Hakiza says the suspect will be transferred to Fort-portal Police station where he committed the offence for prosecution. 

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