The shocking shootout between robbers and police in Clearwater Mall on 1 September highlighted how rife incidents of armed robberies are at shopping malls and centres.
Two suspects were killed, two injured while two were arrested after a shootout with the police.
Several incidents of armed robberies in shopping centres in the province occurred within a space of six weeks.
On the evening of 9 July, unknown armed robbers stormed the Vodacom shop in Northgate Shopping Centre, held staff at gunpoint and fled with
cellphones worth more than R1 million.
There seemed to be a short lull before robbers confronted guards who were delivering cash at Standard Bank in Randburg Square Shopping Centre on 25 July.
Eight robbers fled the scene without cash when the guard dashed into the bank with the cash box after his partner who was still in the van, alerted him.
On 4 August unknown robbers shot two guards at the Cambridge store in Randburg CBD during a cash-in-transit heist.
They allegedly fled with two boxes of an undisclosed amount of cash.
The trend escalated when unknown robbers shot and injured a shop owner at Campus Square Shopping Centre in Auckland Park on 5 August.
They allegedly fled with jewellery of an undisclosed amount.
The crime spree continued when the robbers tried to cut out the ATM box at the 27 Boxes mall in Melville on 7 August.
Police are yet to comment if malls are easy targets for criminals.
Details: Gauteng SAPS 082 4555 782.
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WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES – GALLERY: Two die during shoot-out at Clearwater Mall
BREAKING NEWS: Armed robbery at Clearwater Mall
BREAKING: Shop owner injured at Campus Square shooting
