Moot residents jump in to help TMPD catch cellphone thief
Residents saw the cellphone thief trying to escape, tracked him down and handed him over to the TMPD team.
Moot residents put their bravery on full display when they helped authorities apprehend a man who assaulted a woman and stole her cellphone last week.
Community safety MMC Grandi Theunissen was in the area when the incident took place.
“On Wednesday afternoon, while commuting back to my office, one of my Tshwane metro police department (TMPD) police VIP protectors and an employee from my office noticed an altercation near the corner of Johan Heyns Drive and Annie Botha Avenue,” said Theunissen.
“They got out of the vehicle to investigate and found that a man had assaulted a woman, threatened her with a knife, and stolen her cellphone.
“At that point, the suspect was already fleeing the scene of the crime, and they pursued him.”
Shortly after, the suspect attempted to flee by entering a nearby property.
Residents saw the suspect trying to escape, tracked him down and handed him over to the metro police officers.
They also recovered the victim’s phone, which was promptly returned to her.
“After requesting additional backup, a metro police vehicle was quickly on the scene, and TMPD officers arrested the suspect, who was taken to the Moot police station for further processing.
“I would like to thank my team, the TMPD officers and the locals who helped us to track and arrest the suspect.
“Also, I want to commend the residents who stopped to help the victim.
“It was good to see that so many people still want to offer help, even when it means putting themselves in danger,” he concluded.
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