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Filling-station hero stops suspected criminal from running away

The heroic efforts of some filling station employees to apprehend suspected criminals

The heroic efforts of some filling station employees to apprehend suspected criminals were all for nothing when the police were forced to release a suspect due to lack of evidence on Monday.

According to the manager, Barend Heymans, the incident occurred at the Engen Petrostop on the corner of Marshall and Webster streets and followed after Leon de Villiers, owner of SHS Security, was reportedly attacked last Saturday by three men who were in a white Volkswagen Polo. This was apparently not the first time the men had struck, as they also allegedly broke into a woman’s car the previous week.

In the incident that occurred last Saturday involving De Villiers, two of the three men apparently alighted from their vehicle and approached the SHS Security vehicle. “It looked as if the men wanted to break into the car, but it later appeared that they wanted to hijack the vehicle. The men punctured the tyres of the vehicle and told the driver that he had a flat tyre. But the driver drove off and the men followed him. They were not successful in their attempt because the SHS Security offices are not far from the filling station,” Heymans explained.

De Villiers, who is a former police official, said he realised something was wrong when the men approached him, and that was why he just drove off.

In the incident where the woman’s vehicle was broken into, personal belongings including a laptop and an undisclosed amount of cash were stolen.

Heymans said on Monday he saw the three suspects in the city’s central business district and recognised them from the filling station’s security cameras. “An hour after seeing them in town the men came to the filling station. I then parked them in, and two of the three ran away. I managed to catch one and called the police and SHS Security for assistance. The police arrived 30 minutes later but four of SHS Security’s vehicles arrived on the scene in less than four minutes,” Heymans said. Other Engen employees also assisted.

De Villiers praised the excellent cooperation between the public and especially Engen personnel. “Engen really cares about their customers. Other places wouldn’t have bothered to go the extra mile,” De Villiers said.

WO Lesiba Ramoshaba, Polokwane police spokesperson, said a man was taken for questioning but with further investigation, it was found that he was not linked to the incidents and he was released. The police are still searching for two suspects.

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