Liaan Horton, general manager of ProSafe security, says one of their response officers was in the vicinity at the time of the incident and responded immediately.
Horton explains that they estimate there was about eight to nine robbers on the scene, armed with automatic firearms.
The security officer was shot at along with another response vehicle that arrived on the scene.
The first security officer, wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot in his upper body and leg.
The bulletproof vest deflected the bullet to his torso.
Bleeding severely, the officer attempted to drive to a nearby hospital, but according to Horton, lost consciousness due to the blood loss and crashed into a pole.
He was later airlifted to a hospital in Alberton where he is currently in a stable condition.
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“It was like a war zone,” Horton says.
He further adds that half of the building was damaged from the explosion.
Captain Johannes Ramphora, spokesman for the Springs Police, could not comment at the time of publishing.
Warning: Graphic image