Help police trace accomplice in Fashion World robbery
Police are appealing for help in tracking down a man who along with his three arrested accomplices robbed the Fashion World store on Commissioner Street, Boksburg CBD, on April 5.
According to a police report, a gang of armed robbers stormed Fashion World and held staff and customers at gunpoint and escaped with several new cellphones and an undisclosed amount of money.
Car guards noticed three robbers running towards their fourth accomplice, a driver in the waiting getaway car, which was parked a few metres from the scene.
The brave unarmed car guards gave chase, but the robbers repeatedly fired shots at them.
No one was hit by the flying bullets.
In the process, the driver of the getaway car apparently panicked and drove off, leaving one of the suspects behind.
The suspect was subsequently apprehended by the car guards.
The guards were in no time joined by the police, who then pursued the getaway car, described as a greyish double-cab Nissan bakkie.
With the assistance of a police helicopter and back-up vehicles from Flying Squad, EMPD and local police stations, officers cornered the getaway vehicle on the N17 westbound.
In an attempt to escape capture, the alleged robbers reportedly jumped out of their vehicle and ran towards the nearby bushes.
The large contingent of police, however, managed to arrest two of them, and the other one, who is a fourth suspect in the robbery, remains at large.
The stolen money and cellphones were recovered, and the vehicle was confiscated.
Police also found two firearms and a toy gun in possession of the suspects.
Although there were reports that one of the officers involved in the chase suffered a gunshot wound, Boksburg police refuted the claims, stating that none of the police officers involved in the chase were shot.
The suspects are now facing a charge of business robbery and more charges may be added.
Meanwhile, this newspaper was reliably informed that the suspects are originally from KwaZulu-Natal.
This reporter was informed that the vehicle the men used to commit the crime belongs to a resident of Vosloorus, and it was not previously reported as a stolen car.
Police, however, could not confirm if the car was previously used to commit other robberies, and if investigators will be questioning the owner of the car to determine whether he intentionally gave the car to the men, knowing they were going to commit a crime. @FanieFLK
