THE police are still searching for the rest of the gang that escaped after robbing a gambling establishment in Galleria Mall on October 7 and which were involved in a shoot-out with the police as they fled.
Also read: JUST IN: Shoot-out after armed robbery at Galleria Mall
A group of five armed men entered Galaxy Bingo in Galleria at around 10:00 and held up staff before fleeing with an unspecified amount of cash. Galaxy Bingo features slot machines and other gambling activities.
Tony Lokker, from ET Rapid Response, was one of the first to respond. He explained that his security company’s control centre was alerted to the robbery through their radio network.
“Our control centre operators quickly relayed the information via the CCPO radio network. Amanzimtoti SAPS Crime Prevention Unit, our ET Tactical Response Team (TRT), ET armed response units, CCPO, mall security and other partners all responded,” said Lokker.
As the suspects fled the scene in a Hyundai Venue, they were spotted on Moss Kolnik Drive, leading to a high-speed chase. The getaway vehicle had already hit spikes as it fled the mall. In their attempt to escape, the suspects fired shots at responding officers, who returned fire. The suspects eventually lost control of the vehicle and collided with another car. The police immediately apprehended one suspect, while the others fled on foot into a nearby bush near Southgate Industrial Park. The area was quickly cordoned off, and all involved parties initiated a ground search. During the search, a second suspect was shot and arrested after trying to disarm an ET TRT member. He was taken to the hospital under police guard. Firearms and cash were recovered from the getaway vehicle.
Galleria Mall and Galaxy Bingo had not responded to media inquiries at the time of publishing. The suspects will appear in court soon.
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