One of the suspected robbers arrested for the shooting of three officers is expected to appear at the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The officers, all of them women, were wounded during a shoot-out with suspected robbers who had apparently stormed a retail chain store in a shopping mall in Nyanga, holding staff at gunpoint before demanding the keys to the safe.
“The manager of the store shouted for help, and the suspects fled the scene on foot with cash from the tills.
“As the suspects fled, a marked Nyanga SAPS vehicle entered the mall parking lot and the suspects immediately fired shots at them.
“Three female members were seriously wounded and were hospitalised,” said police spokesperson FC Van Wyk.
Investigations by the Provincial Investigations Unit accompanied by the Provincial Tracking Team led them to an address in Browns Farm, Philippi, where they arrested a 32-year-old.
Van Wyk said investigations continued to identify the outstanding suspects.
Meanwhile, two suspected hijackers ran out of luck when they were arrested hours after police responded to a distressed call about a vehicle hijacked in Thembalethu, George, on Saturday.
“The strategic deployment of Garden Route Flying Squad members on highways, byways and secondary roads leading into the province continues to pay dividends, when a vehicle was recovered in George,” said police spokesperson Chris Spies.
“The members swiftly responded when they spotted the vehicle, an Opel Corsa, travelling along Knysna Road, George.
“They brought the vehicle to a halt and the occupants were unable to account for their possession thereof. Police seized the vehicle and arrested the pair.
“The suspects, aged 24 and 32, remain in police custody. They will appear in the local magistrate's court once charged. The circumstances surrounding the hijacking forms part of an ongoing police investigation,” said Spies.
Cape Times