A Kempton Park ward councillor Tracey Lourenco and her family drove straight into a shoot-out between armed robbers and security guards at Greenstone Mall on Sunday morning.
The NEWS previously reported that the man arrested following the shooting has also been arrested in connection with the Hillbrow Theatre shooting.
Also read: Greenstone suspect also charged with Hillbrow Theatre shooting
Police connected the suspect arrested in Greenstone to the theatre shooting on Monday following further investigation.
Also read: Horror at Hillbrow Theatre: one dead, seven injured after gunman shoots into crowd
According to Edenvale SAPS, five gunmen robbed the Telkom shop inside the mall just before 10am.
Also read: One Greenstone robbery suspect arrested
Lourenco was with her daughter and seven-year-old grandson when the incident happened.
She told Kempton Express, “I was on my way to a baby shower and had stopped at the mall to grab a few things. As we turned off Moddderfontein Road and approached the circle between the mall and Stoneridge Shopping Centre, I could tell something was wrong,” Lourenco explained.
Also read: Armed robbers apprehended following shoot-out with SAPS in Greenstone
“I saw one of the robbers running out of the parking area with a gun. He was shooting at a security guard, who returned fire. More security personnel came running out to help,” described Lourenco.
“It was like a scene from a movie. We were literally caught up in the middle of it.”
A few minutes later, Lourenco quickly drove into the mall’s parking area to get away from the catastrophe.
