The individuals arrested are suspected to have been part of a group of criminals who have made their way through the West Rand scamming residents at ATMs as well as robbing them at fuel stations.
One of the security companies that provided assistance on the day was Olympus Protection Services. According to their operations manager, Trevor Ranchor, various other security companies and law enforcement in the area had been after the criminals for close to a month.
“We’ve been on the lookout for these guys and their white Mercedes for about a month, but we hadn’t been able to pin them down. Until now, that is,” Ranchor said
The commotion started when, at approximately 8.25am on 25 April, a message was sent on a WhatsApp group asking residents to be on the lookout for a white Mercedes Benz vehicle that was believed to have been involved in a number of crimes in the area.
Shortly after the message was sent, the suspects committed an ATM robbery at The Ridge Shopping Centre in Wilgeheuwel. BCI Security members were informed by centre security of the direction in which the suspects had fled.
Their operations manager spotted their vehicle at the Rock Cottage Shopping Centre, and attempted to block it off with his vehicle, but the suspects managed to avoid him, striking a civilian’s vehicle in the process.
“After they hit the car, the owner climbed out and the suspects took aim at him. He then drew his own weapon and fired, taking out two of the suspect’s vehicle’s tyres in the process,” said Gary Jordaan, BCI Security’s public relations officer.
The suspects subsequently fled along John Vorster Road towards Beyers Naudé Drive, but had to abandon their vehicle on the corner of John Vorster and Hillary Road due to the two punctured tyres.
BCI Security then made a call to all security companies and law enforcement entities in the area for back-up, as the suspects began fleeing on foot.
The call was answered in full force, as more than 20 security companies and law enforcement entities responded.
BCI Security’s drone pilot also arrived on scene to monitor the suspects from the air; a tool that, according to Jordaan, contributed greatly to the success of the pursuit.
WATCH HERE:
“We have to make use of every bit of technology that we have at our disposal nowadays to make sure we catch the criminals,” he stated.
Eventually there was a shout from one of the assisting companies that they had located one of the suspects, who had a gunshot wound.
According to Jordaan, two more individuals arrived at the property where the wounded suspect had been found, stating that they were his relatives and that he had called them to come and fetch him.
Both these individuals, and the wounded man, were arrested. The suspect who had been shot was transported to a hospital under police guard for treatment while the others were taken to Honeydew Police Station for further questioning.
During the arrest, a handgun and a large amount of cash were found in the vehicle’s glovebox.
“The morning’s success really goes to show that through networking and teamwork we achieve great things and fight back against the criminals who want to target our communities,” said Jordaan.
Dimitri Nel, owner of Hyperion Security (one of the companies that assisted on the day), shared Jordaan’s sentiments, saying “Everybody did what they needed to do, everybody worked together perfectly.”
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