Bullets hit houses in Tasbet Park during shoot-out

You might notice a few bullet holes in walls and through windows when walking down Taaibos Street in Tasbet Park 1.

Residents of Tasbet Park were left shaken after the dramatic action-packed exchange of gunfire between police and suspects who allegedly had a failed CIT heist on Wednesday, April 3.

 

Just after 10:00, residents who were at home at the time were at first confused as to what was happening.

 

“We thought it was maybe one of those cars with the ‘popcorn’ exhausts in the street, but then quickly realised it was rapid gunfire,” said one resident living in Taaibos Street.

 

By the grace of God, not one single civilian was caught in the crossfire during the shoot-out which left five suspects fatally wounded and three injured.

 

A particular stray bullet flew through the window of Shimah Foster House – right into the bedroom, directly above the bed of one of the foster children. Thankfully the children were at school when the incident took place.

“We are so thankful the children were at school. The particular child, who the bullet could have potentially struck had they been home, enjoys relaxing on their bed. This could have been a tragedy had it happened in the afternoon,” said an employee of the foster home.

 

The employees of the foster house were so rattled by the events that took place, that they only realised there was a bullet hole in the window when the children returned home from school and asked what the hole in the window was. It was then that they also discovered the holes in the walls. The employees were too scared to go outside, but eventually put on brave faces when the kids arrived home from school.

“The only problem we now face is finding funding to replace the window. As this is a foster home and maybe somebody from the community works with glass,“ said Erika Visagie from Rizpah.

Most residents WITBANK NEWS approached for an interview, have been too scared to give their names or have photos taken. They believe the suspects may have family or colleagues who are still in the area, and from all the weapons seized by SAPS during the arrests, these could be armed and dangerous individuals.

During the shoot-out, the suspects that went on the run were seen jumping over walls and entering yards in their attempt to flee. One house in particular has a lot of outside rooms, and the police kicked down a door as they were searching for the missing suspects.

 

“We saw two men run into our yard after hearing the gunshots. We locked our doors quickly and went into the shower. We were scared the suspects would come into our house and shoot us,” one resident said shakily.

 

The residents close to the scene of the shoot-out commended the police on the swift action that was taken to apprehend and take down these suspected criminals.

 

“Everything happened so quickly. It was like a movie. I was walking on the road and heard lots of pops. I thought it was a car backfiring or kids playing with crackers. That’s when I saw the TRT guys closing in on a Quantum bus and I knew it was gunfire. I just lay down on the ground with my hands over my head until it was over. I am glad the police took care of these criminals who are ruining our city and making it an unsafe place to be,” said a resident of Sekelbos Road.

As the residents of Tasbet Park return to normal life after the action-packed duel between suspects and the law, the various bullet holes in walls and torn police tape linger as a stark reminder of how blessed they are that the police took control of the situation so quickly and took these suspected criminals off of the streets.

 

The suspects made their first court appearance on Friday, April 5.

 

The court date for bail applications was postponed to Friday, April 12.

 

The suspects will be charged five counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, possession of prohibited and unlicensed firearms and ammunition as well as offences relating to their CIT heists.

 

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