Spokesperson Lieut-Col Wilfred Kgasago said an unlicensed 9mm pistol, cash and goods taken during the robberies were recovered.
The arrests and the recoveries happened on Friday night around 8.30pm.
The officers stumbled upon a robbery in progress at an internet café on the corner of Bartlett and Eros streets.
“A gang of three males and one female in a black VW Golf sped off when the officers approached.
“The suspects opened fire on the officers.
“The officers returned fire and one suspect was wounded and arrested,” said Kgasago.
A long and thorough search of the area yielded two more suspects – a man and a woman – found with a firearm and the keys, goods and cash robbed at the internet café as well as the cash and goods robbed at a shop in Cason Street.
Kgasago said more goods robbed from the two businesses were recovered inside the black VW Golf getaway vehicle.
The fourth suspect is still at large, while the wounded suspect was transported to Tembisa Hospital for medical treatment.
The trio, one local and two Zimbabweans aged between 18 and 30, was detained at Boksburg North police station on charges of armed robbery, attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and stolen goods.
They are expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Beyerspark resident Johan Erasmus spoke to the Advertiser on Monday morning about his short version of the incident as it unfolded on Friday night, November 18.
He was still feeling unsafe as he said prior to the Friday night incident, someone was hijacked in the same street in the morning.
Erasmus owns and lives at Willows Guest House, situated in Bartlett Road, where the new Ravenswood Road being constructed intersects with Bartlett Road.
He said that the police omitted to mention that he and his two sons aided in the arrest of one of the suspects.
The wounded suspect was shot in the new Ravenswood Road, where it intersects with Bartlett Road.
It seems the suspect who was shot had no weapon on him.
“I confronted the two law enforcement officers after the shooting at the scene and they said no gun was found on the guy.”
Since there were still more alleged perpetrators were the loose, Johan said he went back to his place and asked the two law enforcement officers, who had torches, to go into the storm water channel to search for more suspects, since there’s plenty of place to hide in there.
The channel runs around his guest house.
“The two gentlemen refused, saying that the place had already been searched.
“I went back home and had coffee and my son (Johan Junior) went back to the channel to check,” said Erasmus.
He did this for the safety of his children and their guests at the house.
“We couldn’t go to sleep in peace knowing there were suspects hiding around our house,” he said.
Erasmus said his son entered the storm water channel while a CMS guard provided back-up.
“My son found the suspect hiding in there and I also ran in there with my other son to help pull the suspect out,” Erasmus said.
“We put him on the ground and the law enforcement took over the scene.”
Erasmus said he then approached a police colonel at the scene to ask him for back-up to search for more suspects in the channel.
He said the sniffer dogs were on their way to help in the search but Erasmus said they never arrived.
“I then accused them of being ‘slapgat’ for not wanting to assist us – and they told us there’s no place for heroes.”
Erasmus said after an hour of quietness with regard to the other suspects, he went out with his son and some of their
guests because they still felt unsafe knowing there were suspects on the loose.
“As we were walking up the road, we noticed the EMPD officers jumping out of their car to apprehend a third suspect (young girl of about 16 years of age), some three metres away in the bush.”
This, Erasmus said, is the same place where the law enforcement officers had searched previously.
“When we approached them they got very arrogant and said we were interfering with the scene.
“We went home and everything was quite thereafter.”
Erasmus said the suspect who was wounded is known as a 105 13th Avenue resident. Some time ago he used to work in the vicinity.
There’s a problematic house in 13th Avenue where all the criminals elements apparently hide.
The house is without water and electricity and was supposed to have been demolished two months ago.
He thanked all the support they got from CMS, who still stayed behind to guard the area after the law enforcement officers had left.
CRIME SPREE: Thugs call the shots in Boksburg .
