A taxi driver and his commuters are being hailed as heroes for helping to arrest an armed man who allegedly robbed a motorist of his Rolex watch in Jet Park Road in Boksburg.
The drama unfolded at about 7.45am on Monday, February 25, while the victim, a 65-year-old man from Benoni, was on his way to work.
According to Const Jan Mokwana, a communications officer for the Ekurhuleni Central SAPS Cluster, the “Rolex Gang” victim was waiting at a traffic light when suddenly he noticed two men standing next to his red Ford Mustang.
“They asked for a cigarette, and the victim said no. Next, the driver heard a loud bang as one of the men banged something against the window while the other man was aiming a firearm at the victim.
“A brief struggle ensued as the victim was trying to drive away from the assailants, who had seemingly targeted the victim’s Rolex watch, worth about R30 000, his costly cellphone, wallet and car keys,” said Mokwana.
The victim surrendered his Rolex watch before driving off. However, a few metres down the road he made a U-turn and found the suspects walking along the pavement about 300m away from the scene of the robbery.
“He gave chase and tried to bump them with the car, but he lost control of it before crashing into a nearby palisade fence, damaging the vehicle.”
The victim climbed out of the car and gave chase on foot.
He grabbed hold of one suspect’s bag to stop him from running away, but the other man took out a gun and threatened to shoot the the victim.
The man continued to confront the suspects, who eventually fled without firing a shot. One of them jumped into a nearby taxi, while his accomplice managed to escape.
Realising that something was amiss, the quick-thinking taxi driver locked the doors, made a U-turn and headed back to the scene of the crime.
He and his passengers carried out a citizen’s arrest and later handed the armed suspect over to the police. The Rolex was recovered.
An investigation revealed that the firearm used in the crime, a Norinco 9mm pistol, was stolen.
His partner in crime is still at large.
Boksburg North SAPS station commander Col Khumbulani Mbatha applauded the taxi driver and the commuters for their role in apprehending the suspect.
“Everyone involved deserves the highest praise. This is an example of community and business involvement in the fight against crime in our communities,” Mbatha said.
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