Police shot dead three men and apprehended four suspects on Sunday night after an attempted robbery at a Cashbuild hardware store in Meadowlands.
Three robbers were still at large on Sunday night.
Acting on a tip-off from the crime intelligence head office, the special task force prevented the armed robbery just off Elias Motsoaledi Road on Bram Fischer Street.
Police spokesman warrant officer Kay Makhubela said the three dead men were carrying AK-47 machineguns. It appears the police were waiting for the robbers in the store.
Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela said the robbers believed there was R1.3 million in the Cashbuild store. The unit had been investigating armed robberies of chain stores for a while now when they received the tip-off.
“One of the suspects who was gunned down was out on bail in the Northern Cape on robbery charges and being (involved) in a police shootout,” he said.
Residents in the neighbourhood braved the nippy night air as they gathered on the streets after hearing shots.
“I don’t know how many shots I heard, I just heard this fast staccato of guns, like firecrackers,” said an onlooker.
One woman with a towel around her waist was still frantic after hearing the shots.
“I was talking to my son on the phone and he was on his way home,” she said, pointing at the direction her son was supposed to have taken coming home. “He is not answering now. His phone is off.”
The police found one suspect hiding under a bush. They surrounded him, shouting for him to raise his hands. He was immediately handcuffed and kept belly down on the grass.
Makhubela couldn’t confirm if the gang was in any way connected to the robberies of the NWJ jewellery store and the Goldheart Jewellery store in Lenasia last week.
The Star