Three armed men entered the shop at 5pm, pretending to be customers.
According to Capt Johannes Ramphora, the Springs police spokesman, the customers and staff were surprised when the the trio produced guns and threatened to shoot if their demands weren’t met.
The robbers demanded cash and cellphones and, after taking what they came for, they put the stolen goods in a big bag and left the scene on foot.
One of the security guards at the centre chased after them.
Ramphora says the robbers fired a few shots in the direction of the security guards, but no one was injured. A shop’s windows were, however, damaged by the bullets.
Before the men ran in the direction of Fourth Street and Second Avenue, they dropped the bag containing the stolen goods.
At the intersection they pointed their guns at the driver of a BMW waiting at the red robot, ordered him to get out of the vehicle and hijacked it.
Ramphora says a tracking company traced the vehicle to Etwatwa, where it was found abandoned later on Tuesday evening.
The bag filled with cellphones was recovered.
“Not all the money taken during the robbery was recovered,” says Ramphora.
The police urge the community to come forward with any information that can possibly assist them with their investigation.
