Cape Town – Foolish thieves made their biggest mistake when they allegedly tried to rob the Lansdowne home of an armed cop.
According to a source, the two men were part of a crew of five who threatened the police officer’s family.
They are currently in hospital under police guard after they were shot and wounded by the cop as they tried to flee.
The source says the popular captain from Muizenberg, who cannot be named, opened fire on the thieves after they burgled his home in Hanbury Avenue just after 11am on Sunday.
The officer was in the yard and heard a bang before his daughter screamed.
He ran to fetch his firearm and found five men in his lounge, threatening his wife and daughter.
The alert cop fired multiple shots at the thieves, who fled the house as they came under fire.
“One of the guys tried to run away but got shot in the leg and he collapsed not far from the house,” says the source.
“They arrested him on the scene and you could see he was bleeding.
“They arrested another guy later after he went to hospital with a bullet wound.”
Photographs taken at the crime scene show the bloodied prints of the robbers as they jumped over a boundary wall to escape.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the incident and says: “Lansdowne Police are investigating a house robbery case after an incident yesterday at a premises in Hanbury Road.
“Two suspects, aged 24 and 35, were arrested and are currently under police guard at nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
“The other three suspects who fled in a white Toyota Avanza are still at large, the investigation continues.”
Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson Rafique Foflonker says they are happy the officer and his family were unharmed during the home invasion.
“One assumes they do some sort of surveillance before attempting a house robbery but in this case it seems they didn’t,” he says.
“Thankfully the captain was wakker (alert) and protected his family and we are glad they were not injured.
“There was another house robbery in the area the day before but at this stage it is unclear if the two are linked.”
Daily Voice