Meet the man who foiled an armed robbery in Pretoria – Leo Prinsloo
He knew the day would come, but he did not know when.
Given everything that happened, Centurion’s Leo Prinsloo’s biggest regret is that the suspects were not apprehended to prevent the same thing from happening again.
Armed robbers on Old Pretoria Road attacked the 52-year-old security escort and police veteran and his crewmate Lloyd Mtombeni in April.
Prinsloo was in the driver seat of an armoured 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser used to escort high-value cargo in Pretoria.
He said he only became aware that the robbers were on their tail when the first gunshots went off.
Speaking to Rekord, he knew the day would come, but he did not know when.
“We had a meeting two days before the attack.
“I then said that Pretoria had not been ‘knocked’ for quite some time now, we need to prepare ourselves,” he said.
On the day of the attack, another vehicle from the same company also transported high value cargo, but on a different route.
“My instincts kicked in,” Prinsloo said.
“Every time I switch on the engine, I know that I need to prepare myself from whatever might unfold on the day.”
Two vehicles with eight armed men, opened fire on the turn-off on the N4.
“The men driving the Audi were supposed to take us out.
“More than 30 shots were fired from left, right and centre.
“I could have done more to prevent a similar attack in the future, but as soon as the robbers saw me getting out of the vehicle, they sped off,” he said.
“Our vehicle was our source of safety. If the vehicle was not armoured, we perhaps would not have been lucky and I would not be here today.
“Nowadays, robbers don’t try to push a cash-in-transit vehicle or escort vehicles off the road, they are there to kill you.”
As a head instructor at Fortis Group and a former police special task force member, he said he trains drivers and guards to be as prepared as possible for high-pressure scenarios that comes with the job.
“We have good men all around the world that die everyday to save someone’s life.”
Prinsloo added that Mtombeni and himself are humbled to be seen as heroes.
“We try to stay out of the spotlight.
“At first I did not want the video footage to leak out, but the footage reached millions of people. The video can be a beacon of hope for someone who might find themselves in a similar situation.”
Later that same day, the 52-year-old did a work-out, got home and had a glass of whiskey on ice.
“I have my own ways of dealing with the battles I face.
“Shortly after the attack, I informed my partner that we were attacked, but it was only when I saw her that evening that she realised how bad the situation we found ourselves in, were.”
Did you know?
– Leo Prinsloo acted as training director in the sniper-section for the Abu Dhabi as well as the Mexican police anti-terrorism unit. He is listed as the training director at Cybex Security, a London-based company that offers a wide range of security services. He also does training in collaboration with the Fortex Group.
– He’s been part of teams protecting the late Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles and Kim Kardashian. He has served in protection teams guarding famous people when they travel abroad.
– Prinsloo teaches self-defence classes and physical training. He is the head instructor at Fortis Group and a former police special task force member. His training programme is focused on self-defence and includes teaching people physical fitness and how to use a weapon.
– He is the owner of a shooting academy, The Edge, in Centurion. The academy offers firearm training for beginners and advanced users. Trainees are taught how to shoot at moving targets and from moving vehicles, among other skills.
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