PREVIEW: Shootout in Vryheid CBD leads to arrest of four suspects
Doug Grewar witnessed some of the action first hand as the vehicles made their way from Pick n Pay.
THE recent incident that took place at a local supermarket the previous weekend has left much of the community in a haze of confusion, following several theories tied to the gunshots that rang out on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning.
Members of a church near Pick n Pay, where the action all began, claim that they felt the floor vibrate as the gunshots went off and, according to several reports from the public, many believed that Pick n Pay was under attack from armed robbers. Some even speculated that a cash in transit heist was underway.
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Neither of these theories panned out and management of Pick n Pay proceeded to assure the public that it was business as usual once all the crime scene tape had been cleared.
“The incident at PnP was not an armed robbery,” stated Pick n Pay’s Bert-Jan Willemse on Sunday morning, in a message to the public on social media. “SAPS was involved with an operation that led the suspects into our parking. No one was injured or harmed. PnP is open for trade as usual. Thank you to all involved for the quick response…”
The operation in question, which apparently began with a task team following a suspicious vehicle into the Pick n Pay parking lot, led to the subsequent arrest of four armed suspects, in a vehicle bearing Durban registration plates, who were apprehended somewhere near Bloodriver, following a high speed chase through the Vryheid CBD.
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Doug Grewar witnessed some of the action first hand as the vehicles made their way from Pick n Pay.
Read Mr Grewar’s account of what transpired as well as Pro5’s report of shots fired at a response officer who gave chase in the current edition of the Vryheid Herald newspaper.
