The police arrested three would-be robbers after a highspeed car chase which ended in the men's car crashing into houses in Zolani yesterday.
The police arrested three would-be robbers after a highspeed car chase which ended in the men's car crashing into houses in Zolani yesterday.
Residents in the informal settlement in northern Grahamstown were shocked to witness what looked
like a scene from a movie yesterday as three robbers were caught by members of a local security company and the police.
The arrests followed a dramatic, high-speed chase in which police and members of Hi-Tec Security chased the men as a shop owner fired shots.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said three men had robbed the employee of a Grahamstown
business of a large sum of money around 10am yesterday in front of a High Street bank.
“The owner of a shop was on his way to various banks to deposit money when the incident happened,” Govender said.
She said the shop owner had been sitting inside his vehicle while his employee went to the bank to deposit money.
“The three men allegedly grabbed what he had in his hands and fled, and the shop owner gave chase in his car,” Govender said.
She said members of the SAPS and Hi-Tec security guards joined in and chased the Polo Vivo in which
the men were making their getaway.
“Shots were fired by the shop owner near Mary Waters during the chase,” Govender said.
The owners of one of the houses into which the car plunged were still recovering from the shock, as forensic experts combed the area for clues.
Standing behind the police cordon, Lungile and Lindiswa Plaatjie told Grocott’s Mail that they knew
their fence and door had been damaged.
However, they were not sure if there was any more damage, because the police were still in their house looking for clues.
Lungile said he had rushed back from work as soon as he was told about the incident. Fortunately for
the family, there was nobody at the house when the incident took place.
Lindelwa was already in the area.
“I went to help out an old woman who I usually help and I heard gunshots while I was there. Then I realised that there was something wrong,” she said.
Govender said no one was injured during the incident.
The police arrested three men aged between 30 and 50. A case of armed robbery is under investigation.
