On Friday, 14 August Randpark Ridge resident Michael Pretorius came face to face with hijackers at the Beyers Naude and Dale Lace Avenue intersection while he was driving towards Honeydew.
According to Michael, it was just before 5pm while he was negotiating the end-of-the-day traffic that a man, looking like one of the beggars at the intersection, walked towards the car in front of him and then towards his vehicle.
“The first guy dressed in a green hoodie passed my car a little too close and seemed to be looking past me into the car, and then into the back window. I got the impression that he was signalling the second guy, who was dressed in a blue hoodie and a camouflage face mask, and was already at my front wheel, quickly approaching my driver-side window.”
“My suspicions were already raised, and I therefore locked eyes with this second guy as he approached my window. He also gave the impression that he wanted to beg and asked me to roll down my window,” said Michael.
Being aware of his surrounding and alert of a possible hijack, Michael signalled to the robber ‘no’, upon which he pulled out a handgun.
According to Michael, the robber showed him the gun and started screaming that he must get out of the vehicle.
“He then cocked the gun and hit the window very hard with the barrel a couple of times. At that point I slammed on the gas, turned into the slipway, and sped off,” said Michael.
He revealed to the Northsider the main reason for sharing his ordeal. It is simply to inform the public to be vigilant in case others find themselves in this situation tomorrow. “I can assure you that this guy and his friends are going to do it again. All this happened in a matter of three or four seconds; I really hope this helps someone who might find themselves in this situation next. Please stay safe and stay paranoid when you are in your car, and do not trust the beggars as they might just as well be hijackers,” said Michael.
He believes that he got away because of the following:
- He always stops a couple of metres behind the vehicle in front of him so that he has an opportunity to move forward and turn.
- While he waits at a traffic light, he always disables the Stop-Start function of his car so that the engine idles.
- He always knows what goes on around his car. He never looks at his phone while waiting in traffic, and makes sure that he studies the people who beg and move around the cars.
- He did not freeze when the guy confronted him. He stepped on the gas and sped off.
