Dramatic scenes played out at Hemingways Mall yesterday morning after two gunmen attempted to rob Exact clothing store.
Customers and store managers were left terrified, with some shops shutting their doors immediately after one of the gunmen fired a single shot that hit the front wall of Browns Jewellers.
The two armed robbers entered the clothing store just before 11am and ordered staff to lie down.
Unaware that someone had pressed a panic button, the robbers proceeded with their plan.
One of the armed men herded four employees to the back storeroom, where he restrained them with cable ties.
According to Hemingways Mall spokeswoman Sharon Thompson, “employees activated the panic button, to which our security team immediately responded and the police were called.
“On entering the store, the security team found customers inside but no staff at the till points. Proceeding to the back of the store, our head of security found one armed suspect detaining four employees, who had been restrained with cable ties.
“His accomplice, who had been posing as a floor assistant, fled the scene.”
The second alleged robber attempted to flee up the escalators, but was restrained by security staff before he could reach the top floor.
He then fired one shot in the air, freeing himself from the security personnel and sending everyone in the mall into a frenzied state.
After managing to get to the top floor, the dreadlocked man panicked and grabbed a baby from a trolley but the mother fought back and managed to grab her baby back.
According to an eyewitness, Priscilla Koni, 55, an employee at Winston Saad furniture shop, the man then proceeded to an elderly lady and tried to grab her.
A vigilant manager of Keedo Kids shop, Maureen Ndlovu, 39, leaned outside the door of her shop and grabbed the targeted lady with one arm and dragged her inside the shop, fuelling the rage of the armed robber.
Swearing and screaming, the robber tried to force his way into the shop but a brave Ndlovu stood her ground. Eyewitnesses said Ndlovu swore back at the man, kicking and punching him until she overpowered him and locked her shop.
After being locked out of Keedo, Koni said the man pointed the gun at himself, “at that point I ran to a corner and prayed to God that he did not kill himself”.
The man fled towards the centre of the mall, where he was arrested by Constable Siyabulela Vusani from the Mdantsane police station, who happened to be at the mall at the time of the robbery.
“The incident ended with his arrest by an on-duty policeman who was on the scene. No one was injured in the incident and nothing was taken from the store,” said Thompson.
Cambridge police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi confirmed that the police had arrested a man, 26, following the robbery. “They didn’t manage to get anything from the store as they were disturbed by the mall security,” Mbi said, adding that a 9mm pistol and ammunition were recovered from the man.
Armed men tie up staff, try to grab baby, gran
Customers and store managers were left terrified, with some shops shutting their doors immediately after one of the gunmen fired a single shot that hit the front wall of Browns Jewellers.
The two armed robbers entered the clothing store just before 11am and ordered staff to lie down.
Unaware that someone had pressed a panic button, the robbers proceeded with their plan.
One of the armed men herded four employees to the back storeroom, where he restrained them with cable ties.
According to Hemingways Mall spokeswoman Sharon Thompson, “employees activated the panic button, to which our security team immediately responded and the police were called.
“On entering the store, the security team found customers inside but no staff at the till points. Proceeding to the back of the store, our head of security found one armed suspect detaining four employees, who had been restrained with cable ties.
“His accomplice, who had been posing as a floor assistant, fled the scene.”
The second alleged robber attempted to flee up the escalators, but was restrained by security staff before he could reach the top floor.
He then fired one shot in the air, freeing himself from the security personnel and sending everyone in the mall into a frenzied state.
After managing to get to the top floor, the dreadlocked man panicked and grabbed a baby from a trolley but the mother fought back and managed to grab her baby back.
According to an eyewitness, Priscilla Koni, 55, an employee at Winston Saad furniture shop, the man then proceeded to an elderly lady and tried to grab her.
A vigilant manager of Keedo Kids shop, Maureen Ndlovu, 39, leaned outside the door of her shop and grabbed the targeted lady with one arm and dragged her inside the shop, fuelling the rage of the armed robber.
Swearing and screaming, the robber tried to force his way into the shop but a brave Ndlovu stood her ground. Eyewitnesses said Ndlovu swore back at the man, kicking and punching him until she overpowered him and locked her shop.
After being locked out of Keedo, Koni said the man pointed the gun at himself, “at that point I ran to a corner and prayed to God that he did not kill himself”.
The man fled towards the centre of the mall, where he was arrested by Constable Siyabulela Vusani from the Mdantsane police station, who happened to be at the mall at the time of the robbery.
“The incident ended with his arrest by an on-duty policeman who was on the scene. No one was injured in the incident and nothing was taken from the store,” said Thompson.
Cambridge police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi confirmed that the police had arrested a man, 26, following the robbery. “They didn’t manage to get anything from the store as they were disturbed by the mall security,” Mbi said, adding that a 9mm pistol and ammunition were recovered from the man.
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