A GANG of three armed men robbed another three men at gunpoint outside the banking hall at The Pavilion Shopping Centre last Monday.
According to eyewitness, Noleen Hanson, the incident happened at about 11.15am while she was on her way to meet with clients at the mall. “I was in the parking lot near the banking hall with my head in my boot, getting stock out, grabbing all the things that a rep needs. I closed it with my arms full and started walking towards the entrance. A white Fortuner drove in, doors open, and three men baled out, cocking their guns in the process. It’s a sound I will never forget,” said Hanson.
Her initial thought was that a movie was being made as she could not believe that robbers could be so brazen. “Then I thought maybe it was the police arresting somebody,” she said. Hanson withdrew and hid, crouching between her vehicle and another, but could still see the incident unfold.
According to Hanson, the armed men walked towards the three men and robbed them, and she watched them climb back into their vehicle. “They drove past me with their doors still open. I was completely traumatised as I have never encountered anything like this before,” she said. “Security were quick to run after the vehicle, shouting into their radios, but what was that going to do, as they got out of a boom-gated exit and drove away?”
Hanson then questioned the security at the shopping centre. “Surely there really needs to be more safety and security for visitors to The Pavilion? I know this can happen anywhere, but paying for parking you would expect more security.”
The Highway Mail contacted The Pavilion management for comment but the questions remained unanswered by the time the article went to press.
