'Don't be the victim': How a motorist sent would-be hijackers running for their lives

When a balaclava-clad man appeared at his car window‚ Brad Redmayne had one thought in his mind: Don’t be the victim.

TimesLIVE on Thursday spoke to Redmayne after CCTV footage of the would-be hijackers hightailing it from his car after their criminal deed went awry went viral.

Footage shows the hijackers’ sedan pulling up behind a dark SUV at the entrance of Woodlands Lifestyle Estate in the east of Pretoria on Wednesday. Two men leap out of the sedan and run towards the SUV. It is unclear from the video what happens next‚ but the criminals scurry away in a panic and almost overtake their getaway car.

Redmayne and his partner‚ Samantha Gregory‚ were following another car into the estate to pick up a family member. The first hijacker hit the driver window with a ball-peen hammer‚ but it did not break. The second hijacker had a gun‚ but did not use it.

“As I turned around and saw the guy holding a hammer and he was wearing a balaclava mask‚ I twisted in my seat‚ reached to pull up my shirt and draw my firearm‚” Redmayne said.

“At that point they saw what I was doing and then he must have alerted the second guy who was coming towards the car and then they ran off.”

He added: “People should be prepared to not be the victim. If you’re the victim‚ they will pick up on that and you will be a victim.”

While his first thought was to grab his gun and protect himself‚ Redmayne could not actually level the firearm at the criminals before they escaped.

“It was five seconds from the time the first guy got out of the car to the time they ran away.”

Redmayne and Gregory were unscathed and there is only a scratch on the driver’s side window.