Two men are in police custody in Kisumu after a black Toyota Prado suspected to have been used in a series of robberies crashed into an electric pole during a high-speed chase with detectives on Wednesday morning.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), officers fired at the vehicle's tyres after the driver ignored orders to stop. With its tyres punctured, the SUV, registration number KDX 642Y, veered off the road near Oile Park and slammed into the pole, badly damaging its front right side.

How the chase started

The DCI said the pursuit followed a complaint from a woman who reported that she and her friends had been robbed of their mobile phones by people travelling in a black Prado.

Detectives from Kisumu Central acted on what the DCI described as actionable intelligence, tracked the vehicle and tried to intercept it in town. The driver allegedly sped off instead of pulling over, setting off a chase through the streets.

After the crash, two men tried to flee from the wreck but were arrested on the spot. The commotion drew a crowd of onlookers to the scene.

What police found

A search of the vehicle yielded:

  • a black pistol;
  • three mobile phones.

The items were taken as exhibits. Investigators are trying to establish whether the suspects are linked to other robberies in Kisumu and surrounding areas, and the DCI said the network could extend beyond Kisumu County.

The two were taken to Kisumu Central Police Station for processing and are expected to be arraigned. They have not yet been charged and are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Questions over the getaway car

The use of a high-end SUV in street phone robberies is unusual, and investigators are expected to establish who owns the Prado and how it came to be in the suspects' hands. The DCI did not say whether the pistol was licensed or whether it had been used in any of the reported incidents.

Police have urged members of the public who have lost phones or other property in similar incidents to report to the nearest station, which could help investigators identify the recovered items and link them to specific cases.

Photos: DCI via Capital FM (crashed Prado); Victor Ochieng via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.