Angry mob chase thief in Pinetown
The armed man was found to have stab wounds on his back which are believed to have been inflicted by the mob.
A MAN, involved in an armed robbery in Pinetown, was chased by an angry crowd and restrained by an armed response officer on Wednesday morning.
“The incident followed reports of an armed robbery at a business in Pinetown. Two men, carrying firearms, entered the premises and threatened staff. Two cellphones were stolen,” said Blue Security’s community and media liaison officer, Andreas Mathios.
En route to the scene, a the response officer witnessed a man being chased by an angry crowd.
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“The officer jumped out of his vehicle to investigate. The suspect, upon seeing the reaction officer, pulled out his firearm,” Mathios said.
The response officer responded by drawing his firearm and instructed the suspect to drop his weapon, said Mathios.
“The suspect surrendered and dropped his firearm, which contained a fully-loaded magazine of 15 rounds. The two stolen cellphones, taken during robbery, were also handed over by the suspect,” he said.
Mathios noted that an officer from Metro Police came to the aid of the response officer when it became evident the angry crowd intended to assault the suspect.
“The [suspect] was removed from the tense situation and handed over to Pinetown SAPS. He will be charged with multiple cases, including attempted murder,” he said.
During the arrest, it was noted the suspect had multiple stab wounds on his back.
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“It is unclear how the stab wounds occurred, but it is believed members of the crowd may have inflicted them,” said Mathios.
The man was taken to a nearby clinic and his firearm was handed to Pinetown SAPS.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
