Community helps Zonke cops nab robber on the roof
After a three-hour stand-off with the police on October 21, a robber was eventually arrested.
This is only after the community of Extension Six in Zonkizizwe came to the rescue and helped the police dislodge the criminal from the house.
Events unfolded in the early hours of last Thursday after police arrested two suspects a day before at a house in Zone 3 for armed robbery. The arrest took place after a complainant opened a case of armed robbery of a bicycle.
The complainant told the police that he was riding his bicycle in Zonkizizwe Extension 6 when he was stopped by four men. He claimed that one of the four drew a knife and ordered him to alight from the bicycle.
He reluctantly handed over the bicycle and immediately headed to the police station.
The police investigated and the suspects were located in a house at Zone 3. One suspect ran away and two of the remaining three were cornered and arrested inside the house.
The third suspect managed to climb on top of the house roof to evade arrest and hostage negotiators and the emergency services were summoned.
They eventually managed to dislodge the suspect out of his hiding place and hand him to the police who were watching the scene as it unfolded.
The station commander, Lieutenant Colonel Risenga Albert Chauke, was highly impressed with the professionalism and persistence of all involved in the apprehension of the suspects.
“While I appreciate the coordinated efforts of the police and the emergency services, the determination and the desire for a crime-free Zonkizizwe by the community cannot be overlooked. I’m quite certain that the fourth suspect, who is still at large, will be brought to book.”
The arrested suspects will appear in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court for a formal remand while police investigations continue.
