PRETORIA – Two men are scheduled to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court today, facing charges including business robbery, possession of an unlicensed firearm and suspected stolen property after they allegedly robbed a surgery.
Spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the robbery happened in Roosevelt Park, Joburg yesterday, and the duo was arrested shortly after.
“Police received information about a robbery that was to be committed at a surgery in Roosevelt Park, Johannesburg,” Masondo said.
“Members from the provincial serious and violent crime department kept the surgery under close surveillance. At approximately 8.45am on Monday 10 January 2022, police officers noticed two suspects coming out of the surgery.”
As the police officers were approaching, the suspects jumped into a getaway car and attempted to flee.
“A high-speed chase and shootout ensued until the suspects’ car crashed into a pole. One suspect was shot and taken to the hospital under police guard while the second suspect was detained without injuries,” Masondo said.
The suspects were found in possession of an unlicensed firearm as well as cellphones and laptops taken from the surgery.
“Both suspects will be profiled to establish if they are not linked to other crimes, especially robberies at the surgeries in and around Gauteng.”
Last week, six people were arrested for the alleged possession of high performance vehicles that were reported stolen.
At the time, Masondo said the vehicles were also suspected to have been used in the commission of serious and violent crimes, including cash-in-transit robberies.
“Four suspects were arrested in Oaklands, Johannesburg, while two suspects were arrested in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, on Monday, 3 January, 2022,” he said.
Masondo said the police received information through crime intelligence about a safe house in Oaklands where there were high performance vehicles and suspects that might be involved in cash-in-transit robberies.
IOL