An off-duty police officer attached to the Alexandra Police Station was robbed of his cell phone at gunpoint by two suspects who have since been arrested.
The officer, who wishes to remain unknown, was at a traffic light on Empire Road when he was approached by the men who knocked on the car window.
Sergeant Desmond Subramoney, spokesperson for the Johannesburg Flying Squad, said they then pointed a firearm at him, demanding money. He said the officer had no money, they took his cell phone which cost about R600 to R700 and fled the scene.
Some witnesses shared the information on their social media platforms with descriptions of the suspects, he added.
“Our members, who were patrolling in the area, received the information through police radio network with descriptions of the suspects and started to be on the lookout,” said Subramoney.
“The suspects were then spotted and cornered on the intersection of Empire Road and Owl Street by the police. Upon searching them a cell phone was recovered and an illegal firearm with serial numbers filed off was also confiscated.”
The suspects had used the problematic tunnel on Pieter Roos Park to escape from their victims near Hillbrow, he added.
Subramoney said the intersection is considered a hot spot which criminals use to flee the scene after robbing their victims. “They enter the tunnel through Barry Hertzog and then come out on Empire Road and Owl Street near Braamfontein.”
The suspects were arrested and face charges for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition as well as armed robbery.
Details: Johannesburg Flying Squad 011 248 1316.
Have you fallen victim of armed robbery along Empire Road? Tell us what happened by posting in the North Eastern Tribune Facebook page
Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/219730/argument-leads-to-the-death-of-a-young-man-in-alexandra/
