A DRAMATIC armed robbery at an East London garage led to a high speed police chase from Beacon Bay to Leaches Bay and a deadly shootout.
The drama started at 12.30pm yesterday when two armed men held up the owner of the Engen garage in Beaconhurst Drive, Beacon Bay, as he was collecting takings.
The owner, who did not want to be named, was on his way to bank the money when he was accosted in the parking area.
“I wrestled with them and I was hit on the head. They were parked around the corner and they took Saturday’s earnings.
“After what happened today, the missing suspect could be armed and dangerous so police urge members of the public not to confront him if they see him but rather report that to their nearest police station,” he warned.
Hundreds of Leaches Bay residents gathered in the street after the shooting drama.
Resident Simphiwe Magcina said they were curious to know what was going on.
“When someone hears gunshots, they ought to check what is going on to ensure their own safety.
“We could not just sit in our houses – we had to come out,” Magcina said.
The dead man, believed to be in his thirties, was shot outside the house of Patrick Komani.
The unidentified man was lying on his back on the side of the house.
There were bloodstains on the wall and what appeared to be bullet holes.
A 9mm pistol was lying near his head.
Komani, who works in Greenfields, rushed home fearing the worst after receiving the phone call.
“My wife is usually home around this time of day but at the moment she is in King William’s Town.
“Someone from the community phoned her to tell her then she phoned me,” Komani said.
“My first thought was whether my three children were safe. They are aged six, eight and 16. My concern when I heard about the dead man outside my house was finding out if my children were unhurt.”
His children had not yet returned home from school at the time of the shooting.
The Daily Dispatch visited the garage two hours after the robbery and it was business as usual.
A cashier said they were afraid when they heard the gunshots.
One of the petrol attendants said armed robberies are expected when working at a petrol station because “people always assume garages have money”. — siyab@dispatch.co.za
Robber killed in shootout
The drama started at 12.30pm yesterday when two armed men held up the owner of the Engen garage in Beaconhurst Drive, Beacon Bay, as he was collecting takings.
The owner, who did not want to be named, was on his way to bank the money when he was accosted in the parking area.
“I wrestled with them and I was hit on the head. They were parked around the corner and they took Saturday’s earnings.
“After what happened today, the missing suspect could be armed and dangerous so police urge members of the public not to confront him if they see him but rather report that to their nearest police station,” he warned.
Hundreds of Leaches Bay residents gathered in the street after the shooting drama.
Resident Simphiwe Magcina said they were curious to know what was going on.
“When someone hears gunshots, they ought to check what is going on to ensure their own safety.
“We could not just sit in our houses – we had to come out,” Magcina said.
The dead man, believed to be in his thirties, was shot outside the house of Patrick Komani.
The unidentified man was lying on his back on the side of the house.
There were bloodstains on the wall and what appeared to be bullet holes.
A 9mm pistol was lying near his head.
Komani, who works in Greenfields, rushed home fearing the worst after receiving the phone call.
“My wife is usually home around this time of day but at the moment she is in King William’s Town.
“Someone from the community phoned her to tell her then she phoned me,” Komani said.
“My first thought was whether my three children were safe. They are aged six, eight and 16. My concern when I heard about the dead man outside my house was finding out if my children were unhurt.”
His children had not yet returned home from school at the time of the shooting.
The Daily Dispatch visited the garage two hours after the robbery and it was business as usual.
A cashier said they were afraid when they heard the gunshots.
One of the petrol attendants said armed robberies are expected when working at a petrol station because “people always assume garages have money”. — siyab@dispatch.co.za
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