CAPE TOWN: Four suspects are expected to appear in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, after robbing a store next to a fuel station and having a shootout with police.
According to the provincial police spokesperson in the Southern Cape Sergeant Christopher Spies, on Sunday, at about 5am, a group of armed men entered a shop attached to a fuel station, along the N2 highway, at the entrance to The Crags, between Plettenberg Bay and the Tsitsikamma toll gates.
He said the suspects entered the store and proceeded to rob the staff of their cell phones, and took an undisclosed amount of money.
“Police members promptly responded and a shootout ensued, with suspects firing at police. One suspect was fatally wounded and another sustained gunshot wounds. The wounded suspect was taken to hospital,” Spies said.
Various policing units, including members of the National Task Force, Eden Cluster Detectives, Crime intelligence, and the Eden Cluster combating team, were called in.
Spies said fine-combing of the area led police to arrest four suspects, aged between 25 and 34, from the Cape Metropole.
“Furthermore, crime scene experts combed the scene for clues, when the police discovered a 9mm handgun with ammunition, two air guns, and an undisclosed amount of cash. Three cell phones, that were stolen during the incident, were also recovered. A Nissan panel van, believed to be used as a getaway vehicle, was also found abandoned in the nearby forest,” he said.
Spies said at least one more suspect, involved in the incident, is yet to be arrested.
He said the group face charges of armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms, and illegal possession of ammunition.
Spies said more charges could be added to the charge sheet, as the investigation further unfolds.
IOL