WATCH | Man killed as police corner gang following Cresta mall robbery

08 October 2019 - 17:07
By Iavan Pijoos

A man who allegedly robbed a store at the Cresta mall in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon was killed during a shootout with police.

SAPS Gauteng spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters confirmed that an electronics store at the mall was hit. She said a group of men entered the store and stole several electronic appliances.

The robbers then opened fire as they fled the mall, wounding a security guard. He was taken to hospital.

Following the robbery, one of getaway vehicles, a Nissan NP200 bakkie, was spotted. Officers from the anti-gang unit confronted the robbers on a nearby highway and a shootout ensued.

One suspect was shot dead, Peters said. One was arrested and a third fled the scene. Police recovered one firearm, which would be sent for ballistic testing.

Peters said police were still searching for a second vehicle, a white VW Polo hatchback, which went in the direction of Pimville.

ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said paramedics arrived at the scene around 4pm. He said a man believed to be in his 30s sustained a gunshot wound to his upper leg. He later confirmed that the injured man was a security guard.

The man was treated on the scene and transported to a nearby hospital.

Meiring said three staff members of a shop in the mall were also treated after they were allegedly assaulted by the gunmen.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Cresta Shopping Centre confirmed that the Dion Wired store was hit.

"Centre management can confirm that a security guard was injured in an attempt to stop the robbery, and he is safe and being attended to in hospital," the statement read.