The Johannesburg East SAPS cluster arrested four suspects for armed robbery in two separate incidents.
Spokesperson for Jeppe SAPS Captain Richard Munyayi said the three suspects were arrested after an 18-year-old man and his friends were robbed on April 20.
“The victim was walking with his friends along McDonald Street in Kensington when they were approached by five men. Three of the men took out firearms and pointed the weapons at them. One of the men hit the complainant on the head with a firearm and said, ‘we are here to work’.
“Another suspect took out a knife and threatened to stab the complainant. They searched them and took three cellphones, a WiFi router, R30 cash and fled the scene,” he said.
Munyai said the complainant and his friends followed the suspects.
“While they were walking, they saw a police vehicle and stopped it. They informed the officers of what had happened and they started to search for the suspects.
“Officers spotted the suspects and they started running. The police gave chase and managed to arrest three suspects but two suspects escaped.
“Upon searching the suspects, they found a firearm and recovered three cellphones. The firearm was later discovered to be a toy gun,” he said.
The suspects were taken to Jeppe SAPS and were charged with armed robbery and detained.
In a separate incident, the same police officers arrested a 26-year-old man for armed robbery at Boom and Jules streets in Jeppestown on the same day.
Munyayi said a 36-year-old man alleged that he was walking with his brother when they were approached by three men.
“One of the suspects pointed a firearm at him and demanded a cellphone. They searched him and took his cellphone and fled the scene. The victim saw the police and stopped them.
“He told them what had happened and the police went looking for the suspects and managed to spot them. The suspects ran away but the police managed to arrest one of them. They recovered the victim’s cellphone. The suspect was taken to Jeppe SAPS and charged with armed robbery and detained,” said Munyayi.
All four suspects will appear at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court while police investigations continue.
Contact Jeppe SAPS on 011 624 6042.
