UITENHAGE - BAT ROBBERY IN THORNHILL ENDS IN SUSPECT ARRESTED IN KWANOBUHLE

At about 3pm, a BAT delivery vehicle was forced off the N2 near Thornhill outside Port Elizabeth.

Labans said the vehicle was travelling towards Port Elizabeth when a bakkie drove up next to it, and one of the occupants pointed an R5 assault rifle at the driver, forcing him to pull over.

“After the robbery, responding police spotted the robbers in an Isuzu bakkie heading towards Uitenhage,” he said.

“Several shots were exchanged and the bakkie came to a stop in Mgolodela Street in KwaNobuhle.

“An unknown number of suspects jumped out the vehicle and fled between the houses.”

According to police, a revolver and an R5 rifle were found hidden between the shacks.

One suspect, 36, was arrested inside a nearby shack with some of the stolen cigarettes.

The man will appear in the Uitenhage Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The bakkie had been reported stolen in the Alexandria area.

“It is not yet known if the incidents are linked and this will form part of the investigation,” Labans said.

The stolen bakkies were towed to the police pound for forensic experts to gather evidence.

Provincial commissioner General Celiwe Binta commended the officers for their swift response.

“We shall not rest until we arrest all those involved,” she said.

VIA - heraldlive.co.za