Armed only with hammers, two members of a cash-in-transit heist gang were shot dead as they tried to rob heavily-armed SBV guards.
|||Armed only with hammers, two members of a cash-in-transit heist gang were shot dead as they tried to rob heavily-armed SBV guards who had arrived to load money into automatic teller machines at the crowded Gateway Theatre of Shopping yesterday.
Panic-stricken, month-end shoppers – including many visitors for the Comrades Marathon – and staff scattered in the packed centre as at least seven shots were fired at about 1.30pm. Store owners turned off their lights and locked up until the pandemonium passed.
SAPS spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said the attempted robbery occurred as the guards arrived at the mall to deliver cash at ATMs on the first level near Truworths.
He said the robbers were armed only with hammers. It was unclear last night how many suspects were involved in the attempted heist, although witnesses said there were at least three gang members.
“It is alleged that the suspects in their thirties attacked the two guards with hammers.
“One of the guards was seriously injured. The second security guard managed to draw his firearm and opened fire, fatally wounding the two suspects,” Zwane said.
He said a guard had been injured when a bullet ricochet hit his leg.
“Charges of attempted robbery and attempted murder are being investigated by Durban North SAPS.”
Zwane said police recovered a hammer, two masks and two balaclavas at the scene.
Almost immediately after the incident social network sites, including Facebook and Twitter, were swamped with messages, many urging people to stay away from Gateway.
The shooting occurred on the first level of the shopping centre in the parking lot as the guards were about to service FNB ATMs through a service entry to the mall.
A shop owner, Jerome Govender, said he was walking to his store when he heard the gunshots and rushed to the assistance of a woman in her early 20s who was dangerously running towards the crime scene.
“I think there were two or three suspects who entered through the staff entrance and they tried to haul out the cash-in-transit guys when they were delivering cash. The Truworths staff ran out. There were three or four shots fired and then another three or four shots. And then there was one last shot. People were running out and they closed the doors of Truworths.”
Govender said he had been worried about his staff and had seen a young woman caught in the chaos, crying and running towards the guards. He said she was scared that her boyfriend might have been shot. However, he was safely inside the centre.
“He was stuck inside and she was outside. I tried to pull her away from the guards and Gateway management came and pulled her away and took her to their office,” Govender said.
Another store manager, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had heard “very muffled gun shots, it sounded like building work”.
“The next thing a lady at the ATM started screaming and she ran. At no point did I get the impression that there was a shootout. We turned off the lights and closed the door which is normal procedure,” she said.
Truworths assistant manager Damian Murugan said staff had heard the shots through the walls and had rushed to the back of the store for safety.
Ken Davidson, senior facilities manager with Old Mutual Property, which runs the centre, said: “The incident took place in one of the back-service passages and at no stage was the safety of shoppers at risk.”
FNB spokesman Steve Higgins said a bank custodian and a cash-in-transit guard had been injured when they were struck with a hammer.
“Both individuals are in hospital with serious injuries. The bank security teams are working closely with the police to gather evidence,” Higgins said.
“The ATM is not located within the branch and has been closed for use while the investigation is under way.”
DA local councillor Heinz de Boer said the incident was “worrying” because crime had spiked across Durban in recent months.
“There has been a huge upsurge in housebreaking and we suspect there are a good few housebreaking gangs operating. There have been hijackings and house robberies not just in this area but in all areas. It’s very concerning and now they are doing cash-in-transit heists.” De Boer said it made sense that serious crime had spiked with the closure of the Cato Manor Organised Crime Unit.
“As soon as you start disbanding specialised units you are going to see criminals taking advantage of it.
“I hear there was an alleged problem there but they were tackling crime head-on, they were doing a lot of good work there. It is unfortunate a whole unit is disbanded when maybe it was just one or two guys out of control.”
He said the police were doing a good job but criminals’ modus operandi had become very sophisticated and they dressed smartly and hired luxury vehicles to cruise the neighbourhood.
Umhlanga community police forum chairman Haden Searles said there had been a lull in crime between December and January but it had since spiked. He said it was sad that the organised crime unit had closed down because it had been successful in thwarting heists.
“It almost seems we’ve got back into the normal swing of things. Crime is happening. Police members are being deployed. It’s an ongoing battle.
“I am just very grateful and very proud of the security officers who were involved. The people who were attacked are alive and the suspects are dead,” Searles said. - Independent on Saturday