Family unharmed after shootout
An eyewitness and almost a crime victim said he hooted and shouted to warn the other people about the crime that was being committed.
A resident and his family narrowly escaped with their lives after a shootout in Monument this morning (26 November).
Due to the swift action of the community and the police, three armed suspects were arrested, police confirmed.
Barry Badenhorst, an eyewitness who almost became a victim himself, said he saw numerous suspects running from the Noordheuwel Mini-market in Swartberg Street.
“I suspected that something was wrong when I noticed the closed doors of the mini-market,” said Badenhorst who buys cigarettes and cold drink there every morning before his shift.
“They usually are open from 6am. Then I saw four men running from the shop. An EPR Security response vehicle was also close to the shop.”
He said the security guard got out from his vehicle and gave chase. Then he heard a gun shot.
“I am not sure where the gunshot came from, but the security guard ran back to his car. It seemed no one was injured in the process.”
His wife Natacha and their 15-year-old daughter also arrived at the shop in his wife’s car. Badenhorst got into the car with his family and started chasing one of the suspects hitting one with his car before chasing a second suspect but then stared straight into the barrel of a gun one of the suspects was pointing at them.
“My wife started screaming and the suspect fired two shots,” said Badenhorst.
“By the grace of God both shots missed our car. I told my daughter to lie down and sped off while hooting and shouting, trying to warn the other people about what was happening.”
The Community Policing Forum (CPF) and the police were dispatched to the scene and arrived in good time.
Frans Fourie, a member of Sector 4 Community Policing Forum (CPF) said one of the suspects discarded his 9mm pistol in his garbage bin.
By the time most of the commotion was over, groups of bystanders were present at the scene.
One group then noticed one of the armed suspects hiding in a tree in Jorrisen Street. Without it seeming too obvious, in fear of the suspect retaliating, a woman allegedly approached Fourie informing him of the suspect hiding in the tree.
“I noticed a jacket lying on the ground underneath the tree, and then I saw him.”
He said the suspect then dropped his gun to the ground and was arrested.
An employee at the mini-supermarket said about eight men entered their shop and took cigarettes, cash and their cellphones among other, amounting to over R20 000.
Five suspects who managed to flee in a minibus still are being sought by the police.
