The Westonaria Police showed their smarts after arresting five armed robbers shortly after the robbery.
The armed business robbery took place on the morning of 30 November, just outside Hillshaven, Westonaria, in a small informal settlement called Speru Speru.
When the Herald arrived on scene, a white sedan was found lying on its roof and five of six suspects were in police custody.
The vehicle overturned as a result of a high-speed chase.
Constables Zakhele Mehlomakulu and Vincent Baloyi were on patrol in Glenharvie when a call came in about a business robbery. The complainant explained to the two officers where the vehicle was heading in the area and the pair knew exactly where to go to prevent them from getting away.
Almost immediately after entering Speru Speru, the officers saw the vehicle and gave chase. The suspects had nowhere to run to and decided to drive through a nearby veld to get away. In the process, two suspects exited the moving vehicle.
Before the suspects could get away, their car overturned and once stationary the suspects exited the vehicle. One suspect managed to escape after the crash but the others were rounded up by the police.
The two suspects who abandoned the car before the crash were also apprehended with help from community members, making the total number of suspects caught five out of six.
Upon their investigation of the scene, police found two firearms as well as the goods stolen from the business which included (but wasn’t limited to) cigarettes, toiletries and washing powder.
Sergeant Linkie Lefakane, the Bekkersdal Police spokesperson said the manner in which the suspects were arrested showed excellent police know-how.
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