After allegedly robbing a couple in River Club in Bryanston, a taxi driver was remanded in custody by Alex Magistrates’ Court pending further investigation.
The 34-year-old suspect, who was driving a friend’s Toyota Corolla with three other suspects who are still at large, was said to have robbed the couple as they walked home at 6.40pm on 12 July.
The husband went to meet the wife half way from work for safety reasons when the gang passed them in their vehicle from the opposite direction. After a while the vehicle passed them from behind before it turned back and stopped next to the victims. Two suspects got out of the vehicle armed with a wheel spanner and a knife and allegedly demanded money from the couple. They also allegedly threatened to kill them.
When the couple declined having any money on them, the suspects searched them and took a cellphone and sneakers from the husband and a cellphone from the wife before they ran back to the vehicle and drove off.
Shortly after, guards in a private security vehicle drove by and the victims alerted them of the incident and gave them part of the registration number of the suspects’ vehicle.
The guards followed up and spotted the vehicle within minutes parked nearby. As they drew closer, the suspects drove off resulting in a high speed chase which ended minutes later when the guards rammed into the suspects who were trying to make a U-turn. Three suspects got out and escaped on foot and the suspect who was driving, tripped and fell and was arrested.
The court heard that the suspect had asked the friend to use his vehicle to go collect money from a girlfriend. The suspect’s wife told the friend of the arrest suspect when he inquired about the whereabouts of the vehicle that it had been damaged in the incident.
The victims’ items were not recovered.
Details: 10111.
Edited by Stacey Woensdregt
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