Johannesburg - Armed robbers making off with a white Toyota RAV4 in a brazen hijacking in broad daylight close to the Joburg CBD have been caught on film – and the footage is going viral.
The heist on Saturday took seconds to pull off and happened in full view of other motorists who had to swerve past the scene.
CCTV footage of the hijacking, which was uploaded to YouTube late on Saturday, had registered over 385 000 views by Tuesday morning.
The clip starts with a black car that looks like a VW Golf cutting in front of the RAV4 with its brakes squealing and blocking it.
Then a white Corsa pulls up from the back and blocks the RAV4 from behind.
As four men climb out of the cars and move towards the RAV4, the motorist hesitates, then tries to reverse.
The robbers, who are directed by an armed man in a blue top, wave off a brown stationwagon that comes into view.
As all of this is unfolding, a passenger emerges from the RAV4, his hands in the air.
As the man walks towards the back of the car, a robber snatches what looks like a black bag from the front seat and a white object that also looks like a bag from the back seat.
The mastermind in blue circles, gesturing all the time.
At one stage, the AK-47 in his hands glints in the sun.
The bag snatcher returns and pushes aside a girl, who is in the process of climbing out of the 4x4.
Another back-seat passenger, a woman wearing a pink top, emerges. She loses her balance and something falls out of her hands in her scramble to get out of the car.
The mastermind picks it up at the same time that the robber starts to manhandle the woman, almost dragging her out of his way. The woman’s foot gets caught in one of the seats, the robber grabs and pulls it, and her shoe comes off.
The 4x4 driver has also shifted or been pushed to the passenger side, where he hesitates, then gets out. The men jump into the three cars, turn right and drive off.
The woman in the pink top hobbles off the road. The whole thing is over in 48 seconds.
Police spokeswoman Obakeng Mabaso said the incident took place at about 4.30pm at the corner of Commissioner and Crown streets.
The hijackers made off with the RAV4, R10 000 and two cellphones. The police are investigating. Mabaso said no one had been arrested. -The Star