One out of three suspected armed robbers who allegedly snatched a Toyota Yaris from its owner and attempted to escape, has been gunned down by the police in a shootout.

The suspected robber, yet to be identified, and his cohorts, allegedly opened fire on the police when they realized they were being followed on the Spintex road, Accra.

Two of his accomplices managed to escape arrest with gunshot wounds.

The body of the deceased has since been identified by the owner of the car as one of his attackers.

Briefing the media, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, the Accra Regional Police Commander, said the incident occurred on April 24, 2015 around 1am.

Police received information that a group of robbers had snatched a Toyota Yaris from its owner on the Spintex road and were heading towards Nungua.

The command immediately dispatched a team of police men to track down the suspects.

DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno said at about 1am, the team spotted a Toyota Yaris taxi with registration number GW 9533-13 on the Spintex road and gave it a hot chase.

The suspected robbers, upon seeing the police, opened fire and the police also returned fire in defence.

In the process, one of the armed robbers was hit by a bullet and died on the spot, according to the police commander, but the other two managed to escape.

The snatched Toyota Yaris was impounded and brought to the station for further investigations.

Preliminary investigations also revealed that the genuine registration number of the vehicle had been replaced with a fake number plate, which was later identified and claimed by its true owner.

DCOP Yohuno urged hospital owners and workers to report any person who brings gunshot wounds to their health facilities for treatment.