South African police shot and wounded a suspected carjacker who attempted to hijack a vehicle carrying elite officers hours before the start of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg on Friday evening, authorities said.

The incident occurred on Empire Road when the suspect allegedly jumped into the road and aimed what appeared to be a firearm at the driver of a vehicle transporting National Intervention Unit (NIU) officers conducting security patrols, according to the South African Police Service.

“One of the NIU members fired a shot at the suspect, who sustained a gunshot wound to the upper body,” police national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said in a statement.

Officers discovered the weapon used in the attempted hijacking was an imitation firearm. The suspect, whose identity was not released, was taken to hospital under police guard and is expected to face an attempted hijacking charge once medically cleared.

Mathe said replica or imitation firearms are treated as real weapons when used to commit crimes under South Africa’s Firearms Control Act.

The attempted hijacking comes amid one of the largest security deployments South Africa has undertaken since hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has mobilised thousands of officers from police, metro police departments, intelligence units and the South African National Defence Force.

“The NATJOINTS is thus far satisfied with the uncompromising security measures in place to ensure the smooth running of the G20 Leaders’ Summit,” Mathe said.

Security forces have secured key routes, venues and accommodation sites for world leaders attending the summit, which is being hosted in Africa for the first time.

NATJOINTS warned that any attempts to exploit the G20 Summit for criminal activity will be met with swift action.

The suspect was unaware the occupants were elite police officers when he attempted to seize the vehicle, which was allocated to the G20 security detail, Mathe said.

South Africa’s carjacking rate remains among the world’s highest, with police recording more than 16,000 incidents in the first nine months of 2024, according to official crime statistics.

The G20 summit, which began on Saturday, is expected to draw significant global attention and increase pressure on South African authorities to ensure a safe event.