Brooklyn cellphone snatching suspects arrested

Police in collaboration with security companies have apprehended two alleged robbers and cell phone thieves on Brooklyn Road in Menlo Park, east of Pretoria.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Johan van Dyk said the two are being detained at the Brooklyn police station and have been charged with common robbery.

He said further investigations are ongoing to determine if they can be linked to other cases in the east of Pretoria.

The two suspects were arrested on Sunday, June 23 in Brooklyn for a crime at the Lynnwood Strip.

According to Jarad Frimmel of Old East Safety Forum, at 02:30 a passerby approached Interactive Security to report that people in a Nissan Almera were stealing cell phones at the Strip.

Frimmel said CSI Security personnel observed the vehicle at the Strip as it picked up a passenger.

“After following the car, it pulled over to the side of the road in Brooklyn Road, and as the passenger exited, the vehicle sped off, and the passenger chased it on foot.”

The vehicle matched the description of that of cell phone thieves operating in the area.

“After witnessing the passenger chasing after the car, multiple security companies, including Interactive Security, CSI Security and Old East Safety Forum responders boxed it in and detained a driver and his passenger.”

Frimmel said several cell phones and a taser were found in the vehicle.

He said according to the victim, he ordered an Uber, but his cell phone battery died, and the Nissan Almera stopped as if it was the Uber he had ordered.

“After leaving the Strip, the driver pulled over and told him to move to the back seat next to the second suspect. As the victim exited the car, the driver grabbed his cell phone and fled.”

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Frimmel said the suspects and vehicle were linked to an earlier incident outside Lucky Rodrigo’s at 00:34.

He said a vehicle stopped next to a man walking to the Strip and someone in the car grabbed his iPhone 11.

“The victim was dragged down the road as the vehicle sped off but fortunately was unharmed.”

Frimmel said a case of theft was opened, and several cell phones, along with a Taser, were recovered in the vehicle.

He said the car was impounded.

In another separate incident in the student-populated Hatfield area, a man reportedly had his cellphone snatched at a store on June 12.

A video circulating on social media shows one man at a food outlet when another man snatches his cellphone and runs.

WATCH VIDEO:

Link : https://x.com/Abramjee/status/1802988273347727811

In the video, it can be seen that the unsuspecting victim was buying something at the store and was on the phone. Little did he know there was a man behind him waiting for the perfect time to snatch the phone.

As the victim was about to get what he bought, he held his phone in his hand and the suspect snatched the phone and allegedly drove off in a silver Audi A5.

Rekord contacted the police regarding this incident, but by the time of publishing, they had not responded.

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