A security officer from Red Alert Electronic Security in East London is recovering in hospital after being wounded in the face in Vincent on Monday morning.
In a brief statement on its Facebook Page, the company confirmed the incident, saying the officer was attending to a callout on Devereux Avenue.
"Our armed response team was dispatched and on arrival, with backup coming, our officer approached the scene with caution to investigate what was occurring. The suspects seemed to have spotters that alerted the other suspects inside the building," the statement said.
Red Alert said the officer "was ambushed while coming around a corner and was unfortunately shot in the face by one of the suspects. Our Emergency Medical Services personnel were quickly on the scene and immediately took him to hospital."
The unnamed security officer is said to be "doing well and in high spirits."
"It is alleged that at least seven suspects were involved in the armed robbery and were most likely spooked by our officer's arrival as a lot of goods in bags were left behind on the scene," Red Alert said.
"We are currently working with the SAPS in an ongoing investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice."
