Birch Acres Mall opened its doors to shoppers at about 2pm after the mall had been closed for about seven hours following an attempted cash-in-transit heist earlier this morning.
According to SAPS provincial spokesman, Lt Col Lungile Dlamini, no further arrests were made after police managed to arrest two suspects.
A clothing shop employee said the shops gradually opened at about 2pm after police had deemed the mall safe. Many of them had waited outside while the police were containing the scene.
Story earlier:
Scores of shoppers and employees were gathered outside locked entrances to Birch Acres Mall this morning after an attempted cash-in-transit heist ended in a shootout.
“It is suspected that about 10 men were involved in the heist at about 8am at the mall this morning. There was a shootout between the suspects and the guards which resulted in a guard being injured in the chin while one of the suspects sustained a wound to the knee,” said SAPS provincial spokesman, Lt Col Lungile Dlamini.
Police managed to arrest two of the suspects and four men were taken in for questioning. A firearm was recovered and police also retrieved firearms the suspects had taken from the guards.
“A Toyota sedan was recovered on the scene and it was discovered that the vehicle had been stolen in Midrand recently. The police are still looking for the remainder of the suspects and the mall remains closed,” added Dlamini.
A resident from Tembisa said she was alarmed to find a crowd outside the mall when she arrived with her young son at the entrance.
“I was here to pay my accounts and found people standing outside. When I asked, I was told that a group of guys tried to rob the mall but they were caught in the act. We’re still waiting to see if they will open because it’s month end and we need to get things done,” she said.
