A gang attempting to rob an industrial bakery was scared off when the owner and an employee opened fire on them.
Sean Tuna, owner of the bakery, and his employee believe the would-be robbers are the same men who murdered the manager of a Joburg grocery store in an armed robbery early last month. The police had yet to confirm this.
On Saturday June 23, the gang of at least 12 were heavily armed with handguns and three R5 assault rifles when they hit the industrial bakery in Nancefield, south of Joburg.
However, after the shootout with Tuna and his employee, they only managed to steal a security guard’s gun. The men with the R5 rifles stood outside the premises during the robbery and fired shots in the air.
Tuna said the robbers entered the premises by hiding in the back of one of his returning delivery trucks.
The driver has been arrested for his involvement with the robbery, as the CCTV footage appears to show him holding the security door into the offices open for the gang.
Captain Phillemon Khorombi confirmed that the driver was arrested but would not elaborate as the matter was under investigation.
In the latest footage, seven men, including the driver, enter the offices and hold up employees with handguns. One robber disappears off screen before running back into frame with a flurry of gunshots hitting the wall behind him. The gang members are spooked by the shots and run through the security door, which is still being held open by the driver.
The driver then lets go of the door and hides behind a wall with other employees.
Three men are seen holding up the security guard at the entrance to the premises and robbing him of his pistol, while at least another three men wait outside, including two getaway drivers.
The owner of the bakery and the employee who fired at the robbers were not meant to be in the office that day but had come in by chance.
They were sitting at a table having lunch when the gang entered, and the employee saw one of the suspects walk around the corner with his handgun drawn.
When the suspect saw the employee, he fired a shot, which hit the ground centimetres from the employee, who pulled out his own firearm and fired several shots at the robbers.
The men fled in two vehicles, a silver Toyota Verso with licence plate ND347174 and a white Toyota Hilux bakkie with a Free State licence plate starting with FCH.
A reliable source said police were trying to link the men with other armed robberies across Gauteng. Police believe these gangs use different getaway drivers each time.
A R100 000 reward is being offered by the Spar group for information that will lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the gang who murdered the manager of their Jukskei Park store during a robbery last month.
* If you have information on any of these crimes, please call:
For the Nancefield bakery robbery: Eldorado Park police at 011 946 0300.
For the Jukskei Park murder and robbery: Douglasdale police at 011 699 1300.
For the Melville liquor store robbery: Brixton police at 011 248 5500.