Stolen firearm recovered
Quick thinking police officer recovers stolen firearm in Jerusalema informal settlement.
Trusting his instincts came in handy on February 5 for Florida Police Station’s social crime unit officer Constable Cisky Mashele when he managed to chase down and arrest a suspect in the Jerusalema informal settlement.
According to Mashele, he and a small group of Gauteng Crime Wardens were patrolling in Hamberg when they spotted a pedestrian that looked suspicious.
“As we drove past him, he kept looking back nervously to see where we were going,” says Mashele.
“My suspicions were confirmed by the wardens, and we decided to go around the block and have a second look at the person.
“As soon as the person spotted us approaching a second time, he took off running across Albertina Sisulu Road and into Jerusalema. I slowed the car so that the wardens could jump out and chase the man.”
Mashele adds that fearing the man could simply blend in and disappear, he decided to follow in the vehicle.
“I saw the suspect meet up with another person and saw at this point that the suspect was holding a plastic bag that looked as if it contained a firearm. The other person was brandishing a rifle.
“We gave chase but the two split up. The armed suspect disappeared into the thick vegetation, followed by the wardens. Unfortunately, they could not find this person.
“I chased after the original suspect, who, after a short chase, disappeared around a corner into the yard of one of the shacks. We approached cautiously and found the man trapped in the yard.
“He had ditched the plastic bag during the chase, and denied having a firearm, but a short search revealed that he had taken the gun out of the plastic bag and thrown it behind the shack.”
Closer inspection revealed that the firearm contained seven rounds including one already in the chamber. The man was arrested and taken to the Florida Police Station, where he was charged with illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
“I checked the firearm and found that it had been reported stolen in Randfontein in 2017,” says Mashele, adding that ballistic tests will be carried out to determine if the gun had been used in other crime incidents.
