Cape Town – Police are searching for armed suspects following a robbery at Somerset Mall on Sunday morning in which an employee was injured.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said the unidentified men fled the scene with designer sunglasses after attempting to rob a jewellery store, Van Deijl Jewellers, at gunpoint.
"Armed suspects attempted to perpetrate a robbery at a jewellery store but failed. They then proceeded to a sunglasses retail store and fled with sunglasses after holding the staff at gunpoint.
"One employee was injured when he fell. The suspects are yet to be arrested," Traut said.
Somerset Mall confirmed an attempted armed robbery at a jewellery store at 10.17am. No shots were fired during the incident.
It said six armed men had entered the mall and five security guards were held hostage. The men had smashed the window of a jewellery store.
"The security of our customers and tenants is a priority for us. We continue to work closely with the partners and stakeholders within the security cluster as well as law enforcement authorities to ensure the safety of costumers and tenants," the mall said.
The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry last month expressed concern over a recent spate of armed robberies at jewellery stores in the Western Cape.
Jewellery shops in Hout Bay, Somerset West, Franschhoek, Camps Bay and at Blue Route Mall have been targeted over the past few months.
Early this month, two people sustained minor injuries when a portion of the ceiling at the Somerset Mall collapsed on a Thursday morning at 9.20am.
About 50 metres of ceiling had collapsed and a man and a woman were treated on the scene for injuries, but were not taken to hospital.
Colleague of mine walked slap bang into a robbery in progress in Somerset Mall this morning. Something like 10 guys with guns and sledge hammers. Security guards were shot pic.twitter.com/8WqwdpVM9W
— Skollie Hezz✌️🇿🇦 (@HSteel5) February 16, 2020
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/robbery?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#robberyReports that a Jewellry store was robbed in Somerset Mall, Western Cape short while ago. Unknown group of men. MALL still under lockdown.. @BOSBEER2006 @SAPoliceService @News24 @crimeairnetwork @SABCNewsOnline @MARIUSBROODRYK @1SecondLater pic.twitter.com/WCQxuqoKZ3
— BOSBEER.COM (@BOSBEER2006)