CAPE TOWN - Two alleged burglars were wounded and arrested in a shoot-out with police after they were caught red-handed robbing a business in Table View in Cape Town this week, Western Cape Police said.
"Ongoing efforts to bring the perpetrators of crime to book in the province continue to yield good results," South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Siyabulela Malo said in a statement.
Officers attached to Table View SAPS and a local security company arrested two suspects in their 30s who committed a business burglary at a cosmetics shop in a shopping mall in Table View in the early hours of Friday morning.
It was alleged that at 2.49am the suspects forced their way through a security gate with a black vehicle. Swift response from the local a security company, in partnership with police officers, "intercepted the suspects in action", who then started to fire shots at police and security officials.
The officers and security officials returned fire. "As a result, two suspects were shot and wounded. They were subsequently arrested. Meanwhile, a third suspect fled the scene."
Upon further investigation, the officers discovered that the suspects had looted the cosmetics shop and dumped expensive fragrances, estimated to be worth R500,000, in a big recycling bag.
Other cosmetic products, the value of which was yet to be determined, were also found. No police or security official was injured during the incident. The two arrested suspects were expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates' Court on Monday on charges of business burglary and attempted murder, Malo said.
In a separate incident, a 39-year-old man was arrested in Table View after he entered a local auction house in Blaauwberg Road on Thursday. The suspect pointed a firearm at a female employee and demanded a cellular telephone.
A scuffle between the suspect and employee ensued and she managed to disarm the suspect and call for help. A rapid response from a local security company led to the arrest of the suspect.
"The firearm, a gas paintball gun, and cellular telephone were seized. The suspect was handed over to Table View police." He was also expected to appear in court on Monday on charges of robbery and possession of a "prohibited firearm", Malo said.