Two arrested as cop foils robbery at Blue Route Mall in Cape Town

Two people were arrested on Monday after an attempted robbery at the Blue Route Mall in Cape Town.

Blue Route Mall managers confirmed the incident, saying that "everything was under control" shortly after the attempted robbery.

Police spokesperson Sgt Noloyiso Rwexana said five suspects, two of whom were armed, stormed a jewellery store in the mall. However, an officer who was at the mall at the time saw what was happening and foiled the robbery, said Rwexana. The officer "stopped the suspects in their tracks" while they were trying to flee, she said.

"He gave chase. Shots were fired, with no injuries reported," she said.

Two men, aged 24 and 28, were arrested. They are expected to appear in the Wynberg magistrate's court once charged.

Nicole Sweet, who was in the centre during the robbery, told TimesLIVE that about a dozen gunmen had entered the mall. "We were busy paying at Checkers when a rush of people came running in and said there was a shooting and everyone had to leave," she said.

She said one door of the store was closed and everyone was asked to go the back of the shop while the second door was also closed. They were only able to leave after the gunmen had fled the mall, she said.

Sweet added that one of the guns apparently used in the attempted robbery was lying at one of the mall entrances, and the suspected getaway car had crashed close to the Retreat Station.