A security guard was killed and two others were injured in a cash-in-transit heist when gunmen attacked two cash vans near Hazyview in Mpumalanga on Wednesday morning.
According to Emer-G-Med spokesperson, Kyle van Reenen, emergency teams were alerted to the incident just before 11am.
The cash van was travelling along the R40 between White River and Hazyview when it came under fire.
“Reports from the scene are that an unknown number of armed suspects ambushed the cash van before blowing it up with an explosive device. A shootout ensued, resulting in one officer sustaining fatal gunshot wounds and two others left with moderate injuries,” Van Reenen said.
According to Brigadier Sewlvy Mohlala, police spokesperson, 15 armed men attacked the two cash vans. They allegedly used a Mercedes Benz Sedan to ram into the front of one of the cash vans.
“The suspects fired shots at the guards, resulting in one security guard losing his life after sustaining serious injuries. After that, the suspects reportedly robbed the guards of their firearms and then detonated some explosives.
“The Mercedes-Benz they were using, as well as the security van, were destroyed by a fire during the incident,” Mohlala said.
The gunmen took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled towards Masoyi in a Jeep Cherokee, Kia SUV and a Ford Ranger double-cab bakkie.
Police and security guards pursued the robbers, and a second shootout took place between the suspects and law enforcement officers, said Mohlala.
Police recovered one of the stolen firearms and an undisclosed amount of cash in the nearby bushes.
Source: News24, IOL, Jacaranda FM, image from Twitter: @rsa_trucker
