Pretoria's Lynnwood Manor community rallied together to arrest three alleged housebreakers who made a dash for freedom after being caught red-handed in a house on Monday morning, said police.

Captain Colette Weilbach said a man surprised the three allegedly trying to break into his house at 2.30am.

"He shot one warning shot and the three suspects then fled in the direction of the Moreletta spruit," she said.

His neighbours closed off the area to hamper their escape, then started a search for the men, finding and arresting one of them. "The other two tried to escape by jumping into the spruit and they tried to swim away," said Weilbach.

"The residents found both of them at the other side of the bridge," she said.

One of them was thought to have been shot in the head during the swim and died. Police later found a bag of house-breaking equipment on his back.

The other was arrested and wrapped in blankets until paramedics arrived.

Weilbach said the two men arrested were in their early 20s and were from Atteridgeville.