Last night at approximately 19h20, the Marshall Security Emergency Dispatch Centre received an alert about an armed robbery on Fern Road in the Park Hill area. A female resident was confronted by a suspect armed with a firearm and robbed of her Samsung cellphone. The victim’s screams for help alerted nearby residents and security personnel.
Our Armed Response Officers were promptly dispatched, and an accurate description of the suspect was circulated. En route to the scene, the suspect was sighted on Buxton Road. Upon noticing our officers, he attempted to flee on foot but was swiftly apprehended after a short chase into a dense bush by our dedicated team.
A search of the suspect recovered a replica firearm and two cellphones, one of which was positively identified by the victim as hers. The second cellphone, which was switched off, is suspected to be stolen, as the suspect could not provide a reasonable explanation for its possession.
Greenwood Park SAPS was notified and arrived shortly thereafter to take the suspect into custody. He will be facing charges of armed robbery and possession of suspected stolen property.
The Marshall Security Emergency Dispatch Centre has noted several calls in recent weeks reporting armed robberies with a similar modus operandi in the vicinity. We urge anyone who has fallen victim to an armed robbery to report the incident to SAPS as soon as possible.
Greenwood Park SAPS Detectives are conducting further investigations to determine if the suspect is linked to other armed robbery cases.
Well done to our team for their quick response and on yet another successful arrest.
