An ambulance crew responding to a distress call from Nellmapius near Mamelodi in Tshwane was on Saturday hijacked at gunpoint and tied up before the robbers stole their bank cards to raid their bank accounts.
The crew's cellphones were also taken from them.
This is the second attack on ambulance crews within a fortnight, raising the ire of the Gauteng department of health.
The department said the emergency call for an ambulance was made in the early hours of Saturday, for a 48-year-old man who had purportedly collapsed with an unknown condition. The occupants of the address used to log the call later confirmed they had not called for an ambulance.
“An ambulance was dispatched to the area from the Mamelodi base and on arrival in the vicinity of the address, two men waved to stop the crew. When the emergency responders stopped to engage them, the men pulled out firearms and forced them to drive to an unknown location.
“Both crew members (a male and female) were taken to a shack between bushes where they were tied up while the assailants drove away with the ambulance.”
The team managed to escape to the nearby Mavuso squatter camp where they called for help.
Ambulance crew hijacked, tied up and bank accounts raided
Image: Gauteng health department
An ambulance crew responding to a distress call from Nellmapius near Mamelodi in Tshwane was on Saturday hijacked at gunpoint and tied up before the robbers stole their bank cards to raid their bank accounts.
The crew's cellphones were also taken from them.
This is the second attack on ambulance crews within a fortnight, raising the ire of the Gauteng department of health.
The department said the emergency call for an ambulance was made in the early hours of Saturday, for a 48-year-old man who had purportedly collapsed with an unknown condition. The occupants of the address used to log the call later confirmed they had not called for an ambulance.
“An ambulance was dispatched to the area from the Mamelodi base and on arrival in the vicinity of the address, two men waved to stop the crew. When the emergency responders stopped to engage them, the men pulled out firearms and forced them to drive to an unknown location.
“Both crew members (a male and female) were taken to a shack between bushes where they were tied up while the assailants drove away with the ambulance.”
The team managed to escape to the nearby Mavuso squatter camp where they called for help.
Paramedic fights off would-be hijackers during attempt to steal ambulance
The crew had also managed to activate the panic button before the assailants took the ambulance, activating a search.
The ambulance was recovered a few minutes later in the Nellmapius area.
A case has been opened with the Silverton SAPS and the camera footage from the incident has been handed over to the police, the department said.
Two weeks ago, a pair of Dark City healthcare workers were robbed of their belongings while executing their duties in the community of Ekangala by two assailants who driving a grey VW Polo. Police are also investigating this case.
The health department appealed to communities to work with law enforcement agencies to report any information that might assist the police to bring the perpetrators to book.
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