Cigarette thieves caught
The men were shot by a security company after they robbed a cigarette delivery truck on Friday.
Two cigarette thieves were caught on Friday after stripping a British American Tobaccos truck in the west of Pretoria.
The pair, along with four other accomplices, stopped the cigarette delivery truck in Fred Nicholson Street shortly after noon.
They held the driver at gunpoint and offloaded the cigarettes into their own vehicle.
“The cigarette truck driver alerted security by pressing a panic button. Fidelity security officials responded and chased the robbers,” said police spokesperson Captain Bonginkosi Msimango.
The fleeing robbers crashed into another vehicle in their haste to get away and the security officials caught up with them.
“Fidelity closed them off and a shoot out ensued between them and the robbers. One of the robbers was wounded. A second was injured when he was hit by a car while trying to flee. The remaining four ran away,” Msimango said.
A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said one of the robbers was hit in the leg.
“One was hit in the leg. We were about 1m away from the shooting and we immediately drove off to avoid the shooting.”
Best Care Ambulance spokesperson Xander Loubser said the wounded man was shot in the leg and arm.
“He was treated on the scene and taken to Steve Biko Academic Hospital.”
Also read:
Two arrested for hijacking cigarette truck
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