A quick response from police and a security company foiled a business robbery in the Mthatha CBD yesterday.
However, before the suspects were arrested, Sprigg Street resembled a war zone when two gunmen exchanged gunfire with police after robbing a supermarket just after 8am. Police and Protek Security officers were alerted to the robbery when an employee activated the security alarm.
One suspected robber and a security guard were injured while another suspected robber was arrested. A third managed to escape.
Two vehicles – one belonging to a school teacher and the other a security company – were damaged in the shootout.
Vendors in Sprigg Street were left terrified by the incident.
“The robbers shot at everything that was blocking their way,” a traumatised Xolile Ndzambule said.
“We were lucky that we were not hit by stray bullets. The security guard from Protek was so quick and fast, as one of the gunmen shot towards the back of his car and missed,” Ndzambule said..
“The street was turned into war zone it was like we were just watching a movie.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said: “Three men entered the shop and demanded cash at gunpoint. They managed to take the cash but someone activated the alarm. Police responded swiftly, as well as Protek Security company. There was an exchange of gunfire between police and the robbers. One of the robbers was shot and injured. The security guard was also injured by the robbers.”
The injured men were rushed to hospital by ambulance and the suspected robber is under police guard.
Fatyela said that two firearms – a 9mm and revolver – were confiscated from the suspects and will be sent for ballistic testing to establish if it can be linked to other crimes.
A quick police investigation found the revolver was stolen in Gauteng in February, Fatyela said.
He said the suspects will be charged with armed robbery of a business, attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The police spokesman said they were concerned about the number of illegal guns on the streets, saying they were being used in robbery, hijacking and murder cases.
Fatyela said that it was the large number of firearms in the wrong hands that saw Mthatha once again being named as the Eastern Cape’s murder capital with 127 reported murder cases during the 2016-17 financial year.
lMeanwhile, Fatyela said that police have confiscated a large number of stolen goods in Ngobozi village in Corhana. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
Cops thwart Mthatha robbers
However, before the suspects were arrested, Sprigg Street resembled a war zone when two gunmen exchanged gunfire with police after robbing a supermarket just after 8am. Police and Protek Security officers were alerted to the robbery when an employee activated the security alarm.
One suspected robber and a security guard were injured while another suspected robber was arrested. A third managed to escape.
Two vehicles – one belonging to a school teacher and the other a security company – were damaged in the shootout.
Vendors in Sprigg Street were left terrified by the incident.
“The robbers shot at everything that was blocking their way,” a traumatised Xolile Ndzambule said.
“We were lucky that we were not hit by stray bullets. The security guard from Protek was so quick and fast, as one of the gunmen shot towards the back of his car and missed,” Ndzambule said..
“The street was turned into war zone it was like we were just watching a movie.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said: “Three men entered the shop and demanded cash at gunpoint. They managed to take the cash but someone activated the alarm. Police responded swiftly, as well as Protek Security company. There was an exchange of gunfire between police and the robbers. One of the robbers was shot and injured. The security guard was also injured by the robbers.”
The injured men were rushed to hospital by ambulance and the suspected robber is under police guard.
Fatyela said that two firearms – a 9mm and revolver – were confiscated from the suspects and will be sent for ballistic testing to establish if it can be linked to other crimes.
A quick police investigation found the revolver was stolen in Gauteng in February, Fatyela said.
He said the suspects will be charged with armed robbery of a business, attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The police spokesman said they were concerned about the number of illegal guns on the streets, saying they were being used in robbery, hijacking and murder cases.
Fatyela said that it was the large number of firearms in the wrong hands that saw Mthatha once again being named as the Eastern Cape’s murder capital with 127 reported murder cases during the 2016-17 financial year.
lMeanwhile, Fatyela said that police have confiscated a large number of stolen goods in Ngobozi village in Corhana. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za
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