Shootout at shopping centre in Moot
Fortunately, no one was injured during the shooting, but the culprits managed to flee the scene.
An attempted business break-in at a shopping centre in the Moot ended in a shootout between a reaction officer and four armed men on Tuesday, February 8.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning.
Police spokesperson Captain Anton Breedt said the reaction officer had responded to a panic button alarm at the centre.
“A 43-year-old security guard, working inside the shopping centre, saw four unknown armed men forcing open the entrance doors on the ground floor of the centre.”
The men then proceeded to break into the doors at a clothing shop inside the centre, taking a large number of cellphones.
“The guard reacted by sending a distress signal to the reaction company,” said Breedt.
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A 33-year-old reaction officer responded to the panic alarm.
Upon his arrival, he was met by the suspects outside the shopping centre busy loading a cabinet with cellphones into one of the two vehicles.
“A shootout ensued between the reaction officer and the suspects.”
During the exchange of fire, the armed men managed to flee the scene in their vehicles. Fortunately, no one was injured during the shooting, Breedt said.
“A case of business break-in and attempted murder are being investigated. More charges will be added as the investigation continues,” he said.
The concern to police is that suspects are changing their methods every day which makes it difficult to apprehend these suspects.
“The assistance of the community is of great importance in crimes such as these and information and tip-offs can help to solve these sort of crimes,” said Breedt.
Moot police had the following safety tips to business owners:
– Always be alert of persons or customers entering the business after normal trading hours.
– Don’t allow non-employees behind the counter or in offices and be alert during night shifts.
– Report suspicious people or vehicles to police immediately.
– Make use of security gates to control customers during trading hours.
– Don’t keep large amounts of cash on your premises especially if you don’t use a drop safe or secured approved safes, especially over weekends.
– Invest in an approved and reliable security company or alarm system with a panic button and CCTV.
Station commander for Moot police, Colonel Hlengeni Giben Mashaba condemns the actions of these perpetrators and appeals to the public at large to assist with information that can lead to the arrest and successful conviction of these suspects.
Information can be given by phoning the toll-free number 08600 10111 or by sending an SMS to 32211.
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