Athlone shootout: cops were
trailing robbers
June 9
2015 at 01:30pm
By Kieran Legg
CAPE ARGUS Of the three robbers
who had been wounded during the shoot-out, two died on the street. The third
was rushed to hospital but ultimately succumbed to his wounds. A shoot-out in the heart of Surrey Estate, Athlone, has left a police officer
and a shopper injured and three thieves dead after a heavily armed gang attempted to hold up a local store.
According
to authorities, undercover police officers had trailed the robbers, who were
driving two vehicles, to
the Primrose Markette next to the Engen Service
Station on the corner of Ruimte and Orion streets on Monday
night.
Radio 786
reported on Tuesday morning that crime intelligence officers belonging to the
SAPS Flying Squad
had been keeping tabs on the suspects for a while.
When the
suspected thieves pulled up in front of the Primrose Markette at around 9.30pm,
they jumped from
their vehicles and stormed the store.
According
to sources, there were at least six men armed with pistols and automatic
rifles. It is unclear whether
they managed to steal anything from inside the
store, although they allegedly held up staff at gunpoint.
But when
they left, they were confronted by the police officers and opened fire.
Surrey
Estate Neighbourhood Watch member Yasien Regal said he heard the rattle of
gunfire clearly, even
though his home is over a kilometre away from where the
shooting took place.
“I heard
all these shots being fired and then suddenly it was quiet.”
Regal
would later find out that the thieves who had been left standing had scattered,
while three of their accomplices lay bleeding to death in front of the shop.
One of the police officers also had been injured, along
with a shopper who was
caught in the crossfire.
Regal
said the shopper was a woman who appeared to live in the area. She was rushed
to hospital with
multiple gunshot wounds.
Police
spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said on Tuesday morning that both the 43-year-old
officer and the
woman were in a serious but stable condition.
The
neighbourhood watch was called on to help comb the area for any sight of the
shooters as the police
deployed more vehicles and a helicopter in the
neighbourhood. According to one report, some of the thieves
had sped off in
their vehicles which police later recovered.
Searches
did not turn up any signs of the three, or possibly more, men who managed to
flee from the scene,
said Van Wyk. Of the three robbers who had been wounded
during the shoot-out, two died on the street. The
third was rushed to hospital
but ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
Van Wyk
said: “The circumstances of the matter are currently under investigation by the
Independent Police Investigative Directorate.”
Regal
said that it was fortunate that only one civilian had been injured in the
shoot-out.
“It’s a
busy place at that time of night and there must’ve been a lot of people out on
the street,” he told the
Cape Argus on Tuesday morning.
He said
the robbery was just the latest to hit the strip of shops in Surrey Estate
which had become a “soft
target” for criminals. “They are robbing everyone,
they’ve hit the local butcher twice,” he said.
Residents
were still in shock on Tuesday morning, some expressing fear as to the
whereabouts of the three suspects who are still at large, according to the
neighbourhood watch’s Facebook page.
kieran.legg@inl.co.za
Deur
basil afrika Vrydag 12 Junie 2015 05:01
N LID van Operation Combat is in ’n ernstige toestand in die hospitaal nadat
hy Maandag in Athlone in
Primrose Markette-rooftog gewond is.
Die cop is in die been geskiet tydens dié rooftog in die buurt Surrey
Estate.
Drie verdagtes het gisteroggend in die Athlone-landdroshof op drie klagte
van roof, twee van poging tot moord,
en klagte van die besit van onwettige
wapens en ammunisie verskyn.
Hulle is Andile Mafanga (34) van Khayelitsha, Unathi Magadla (38) van Delft
en Thobela Frans (39) van Khayelitsha.
Die ander beskuldigde, Thabiso Mahilihili (34) van Khayelitsha, is in nog in
die Groote Schuur-hospitaal onder polisiebewaking.
Hy moet nog geopereer word en kan nog nie ontslaan word nie.
Tydens Mahilihili se beweerde deelname aan die rooftog was hy sedert 2013
uit op parool.
Een van die voertuie wat die mans na bewering in die rooftog gebruik het, is
in Mei gekaap.
Die polisie het beslag gelê op die gesteelde geld, twee selfone, ’n
R5-geweer en ’n 9 mm-pistool wat
die rooftog gebruik is.
Twee rowers is op die misdaadtoneel doodgeskiet en ’n derde is in die
hospitaal dood.
Die staat het aangedui hy gaan die vermeende rowers se borgtogaansoek
teenstaan.
Die verdagtes het aangedui hulle gaan hul eie regsverteenwoordigers aanstel.
Landdros Keith le Keur het die saak tot 17 Junie uitgestel vir verdere
ondersoek en borgtog inligting.
Daar is nog uitstaande verklarings van die polisielede wat op die toneel
was.
Hulle wag ook nog vir die uitslae van die ballistiese toetse.
Een van die verdagtes het ook gekla die polisie het hom mediese behandeling
geweier nadat hy sy bors beseer
.
Daar was ’n groot polisieteenwoordigheid in die landdroshof tydens die mans
se verskyning.
