Cape Town - Police and the Special Task Forced foiled a potential hostage situation at a shop on Voortrekker Road in Goodwood on Wednesday.
Two armed men stormed into the shop on the busy road around 8am and held up a Bangladeshi shopkeeper. This is the second Bangladeshi shopkeeper targeted by smooth criminals in less than a week.
Eyewitnesses on the scene told Weekend Argus that the men could be seen inside the shop, one of them holding the shop owner at gunpoint.
“Someone kept screaming, and then all we heard was sirens. The next moment cops blocked off the road from McDonald’s until Alice Street.
Police and the Special Task Team swiftly foil a potential #hostage situation in Voortrekker Road. pic.twitter.com/lvOm7rsr3k
— Weekend Argus (@WeekendArgus) January 12, 2022
“They then surrounded the shop and that's when we heard that the shop owner was being held hostage.”
A shop owner who spoke on condition of anonymity said although a lot of robberies occurred on Voortrekker Road, it is the first time it led to a hostage drama.
“Voortrekker has a lot of shops, that's why it's such an easy target. In 2020 my shop was also burgled, we weren't inside at the time, they managed to steal everything.
“Its just a shock to see them doing it in broad daylight.
“That shop owner who was held hostage has two shops on the same road and his been here for quite a while, its also the first time they try and rob his shop.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut said two suspects aged 35 and 29 were arrested on the spot.
“The vigilance of the public and the swift response by police led to the arrest of two suspects on a charge of business robbery in Goodwood this morning.
“At around 08:20 the armed suspects held the owners of a shop situated in Voortrekker Road at gunpoint.
“One of the suspects fled when they were disturbed by someone who made alarm, but was apprehended by the public.
“SAPS members attached to Goodwood police arrived on the scene and arrested a second suspect.
“There was, however, reason to believe that a third suspect was still trapped in the shop and the Special Task Force was summoned to the scene. After the building was tactically penetrated, it was established that the two suspects were alone.
“The firearm used by the suspects was discovered hidden inside the shop and seized. An Ethiopian male aged 35 and a Zimbabwean male aged 29 are expected to make their court appearance in Goodwood once they have been charged.”
Last Friday a 25-year-old Bangladeshi was snatched outside his store in Kalksteenfontein near Bishop Lavis on Wednesday. But swift joint police rescue mission resulted in the man being safely reunited with his family on Friday.