Police foil a diamond outlet robbery, arrest 11 suspects and seize three unlicensed firearms
Pretoria: 6 December 2020 – The South African Police Service National Crime Intelligence’s information dispatched to Gauteng Police results in a foiled business robbery in Bryanston and the arrest of 11 suspects, including two SAPS members last night.
A multi-disciplinary team in Gauteng province comprising of members from the National Crime Intelligence, Provincial Specific Crime, Fidelity Specific Services, CAP Security Services, Johannesburg Flying Squad, K9 Unit, Johannesburg Metro Police, Tactical Response Team and Special Task Force operationalised information regarding a planned business robbery at a Bryanston diamond outlet by holding an observation for far from the targeted place from midday.
At about 20:30 the team identified three vehicles driving towards the target place, one of them a marked police bakkie. The suspects got out of the vehicles and the police approached but then the suspects started shooting at the police. The members returned fire and subsequently arrested 11 suspects, two of them with gunshot wounds on their legs. None of the team members were injured, three of the police’s vehicles are bullet riddled.
During the arrest the police seized three firearms – a rifle and two pistols, two vehicles including the marked police bakkie.
The suspects will be appearing in the Randburg Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 8 December 2020, facing the following charges; conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, possession of suspected stolen vehicles and driving vehicle without owner’s consent.
This multi-disciplinary team is also responsible for the arrest on Friday, of four suspects believed to be part of a syndicate that has been linked to a string of robberies in the province where courier vehicles are targeted. The suspects at the time of the arrest were allegedly on their way to commit a robbery in Fourways as per information received from Crime Intelligence. They were found with two unlicensed firearms, a jammer and a Toyota Prado that had been hijacked in Eldorado Park.
All the unlicensed firearms will be taken for ballistic tests to determine whether they were used to commit other crimes. The arrested police members, a detective sergeant stationed in Kempton Park and an administration clerk from Springs FCS will also be subjected to a departmental disciplinary investigation.
