A shootout occurred at the Sasol Garage on Malibongwe Drive, North Riding, leaving two suspects dead at about 8.40pm on 29 August.
Four suspects entered the shop at the garage, and robbed customers and staff at gunpoint, Honeydew Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs said.
She explained that two Honeydew police reservists noticed a suspicious Volkswagen Jetta parked next to the garage. As the reservists drove in, the four suspects ran out of the shop shooting at them. The reservists returned fire and killed two of the suspects. The remaining suspects fled the scene and two unlicensed firearms were recovered.
An eye-witness, who was in the shop at the time explained, “All I heard was a gun cocking and someone said we must all lie down. I covered my head in case they wanted to hit me, but they only hit the tiller, when they asked if he had keys to a safe and he said he didn’t, and a woman who was not complying.” The suspects proceeded to take cash from the tills and cellphones from the customers. “I did not want to maintain eye-contact,” the eye-witness said. “I just covered my head and prayed they would not hit me.” He said that there were about six customers and one tiller in the shop.
“The police shot the guy with the bag of money outside the shop, and when the other guy tried to fetch the bag and gun, police shot him too,” the eyewitness said, adding that his car has a bullet in it to remind him of the traumatic incident. He added that the police were “jacked up” and “calm”.
Details: Honeydew police 011 801 8613, Security in Practise (SIP) 011 079 6969.
