An off duty policeman attached to the Public Order Policing Unit in Gqeberha has been praised for his heroic efforts in arresting a suspect even after being shot and wounded.
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Majola Nkohli, said the drama unfolded on Sunday night when at least three masked men, two of whom were armed with guns, stormed into a shop in Duka Street in an Addo suburb.
He said the shop owner, his assistant and customers were held at gunpoint while a third suspect stole cell phones and cash from the register.
Sergeant Nkohli said the off-duty Sergeant, who was nearby, heard the commotion and “tactically approached the crime scene”, engaging in a gunfight as the suspects fled.
He said the policeman sustained a gunshot wound during the exchange but was also able to wound a 28-year-old suspect, who was arrested on the scene, while a firearm and ammunition were also seized.
Sergeant Nkohli said they were tipped off the following day about two men who were admitted to the Kirkwood Hospital with gunshot wounds.
He said they were positively linked to the Addo robbery and subsequently arrested, while a fourth suspect was arrested at his workplace in Addo.
Nkohli said the men, aged between 22 and 24, hail from Mqanduli and will appear in court soon on a charge of business robbery.
