Police Officer shot during early morning cash-in-transit robbery

A police officer was shot in the neck during a cash-in-transit robbery in Ferndale on 14 October.

A bystander, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that at around 7.30am nine or ten men armed with two AK47 rifles and a number of handguns robbed a cash-in-transit vehicle at Randburg Square. As they were escaping, a Randburg police officer in a police van tried to stop them at the corner of Harley Street and Oak Avenue. They opened fire.

Eye witness Colette Monk was in a taxi behind the van. She explained that after a rapid succession of shots, the police van stopped and the officer stumbled out of the vehicle. “He was shot in the back of the neck and blood was pouring down his back,” she said. “His sister was also in the van and the broken glass cut her neck but it was not that bad.”

Monk got out to help the officer. Many more police officers arrived a few minutes later and gave chase to the shooters.

Monk and the other eye witness explained that an ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. But after an inspection on the condition of the officer, he was airlifted to hospital in an police helicopter accompanied by Emer-G-Med paramedics.

A police helicopter arrived later and circled the area. Randburg police spokesperson Warrant Officer Johannes Maja would not comment immediately but updates will follow.

The bystander said that the suspects carried out their robbery in a bakkie. “They were well disguised,'” he said. “They were dressed like labourers. You would not have suspected them. They must have left their guns on the floor of the bakkie before the robbery.” Monk said that nearby hawkers just stood and watched the officer bleed, refusing to help.

Details: Randburg police 011 449 9000.