THREE armed business robbers ditched a stolen vehicle like a hot potato when chased down by squadrons of Community Policing Forum (CPF) vehicles, only to run into police vans, the Mzingazi CPF and an angry community barricade.
Instead of celebrating the cash looted from the Strandloper Café in Meerensee, one ended in hospital and two behind bars.
The three men, armed with guns and a knife, entered the café in Davidson Lane shortly before 9pm on Thursday.
They held up the owner and made off with his Corsa utility vehicle, a large amount of cash, his wallet and cellphones.
But after a panicked whatsapp by his brother to the Meerensee Security chat, CPF members and Northern Security Protection Services (NRPS) rushed to the scene within three minutes, with the police hot on their heels and the Arbovlei and Birdswood CPFs barricading exit routes.
According to Corrie Pretorius of NRPS who arrived first, some CPF members responded so quickly that they left their shoes at home.
Patrollers blocked the Meerensee exits in record time and CPF member Peter Daniels picked up the Corsa, driven without lights, 11 minutes after the first distress call.
‘Before you could say ‘police van’, there were so many blue and green lights it looked like a disco,’ said one patroller.
The robbers sped into Mzingazi and managed to shake off their pursuers for a short while.
Sgt Sidney Thavasagain and Col Makhathini’s shift started searching, while the Mzingazi CPF and community cordoned off escape routes.
The stolen vehicle was found abandoned near the Mzingazi Driving School and police shortly thereafter, assisted by the community, arrested the three suspects.
The fourth escaped with the cash.
Sgt Thavasagain thanked Col Makhathini, Constables Thusi, Shabalala, Cele, Mafiking and Mthimkhulu, as well as the Mzingazi community for sterling teamwork.
Pretorius said it was the first incident in Meerensee for the month.
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