A man suspected of hijacking a Mercedes Veto near Laudium was hospitalised after jumping off the first floor of a flat to evade arrest, Pretoria police said on Wednesday.

"Netstar picked up a signal that the vehicle was parked at a flat in Schubert Park shortly after the hijacking on Tuesday night," captain Louise Reed said.

"Shortly after police got to the man's flat, a security guard told them the man who had just driven in with the Veto was about to jump off the first floor."

She said one of the officers jumped down as well in pursuit of the man, only to find him hiding in nearby bushes.

An ambulance had to be called as the man had been injured from jumping off the building.

"While waiting for the ambulance, the two officers searched the man and found an unlicensed revolver with filed off numbers," Reed said.

The man is under police guard at Kalafong hospital, but he has not yet been charged with hijacking the vehicle.

"He was arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm but we are investigating the possibility that he hijacked the vehicle," she said.

Sapa