Saturday morning a female runner enjoying the Sibaya Walking Trails fought off and managed to escape from an armed suspect who attempted to rob her of her belongings.
At approximately 10h20 the Marshall Security Emergency Dispatch Centre received a call from a client in the Umdloti area after falling victim to an attempted armed robbery on the Sibaya Walking Trails while enjoying a morning run. The suspect, armed with an axe, attempted to rob the female victim of her belongings; however, she managed to fight him off, during which he dropped the axe and fled in an unknown direction.
After making contact with the victim and gathering information and a clothing description of the suspect, our teams went on a search in the bushes looking for him. After an hour manhunt in the area, the suspect was spotted walking on South Beach Road and was immediately apprehended by our team members.
The victim was contacted and arrived on the scene where she positively identified the suspect. The victim also desired to press charges against the suspect and the SAPS were notified accordingly.
A few minutes later members of the Durban North Rapid Response Team arrived and took over the scene and transported the suspect to Durban North Police Station where he will be charged with attempted armed robbery.