BULLETS flew through the air as a gang of more than 15 gunmen who bombed a Standard Bank ATM had a shoot-out with the police yesterday morning.
This happened after the gang cornered and shot dead a Hi-Tech guard. The guard was responding to a robbery at Bushbuckridge Twin City Mall in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga at about 3.15am.
Saddened Hazyview and White River Hi-Tech Security operations manager Hennie Potgieter told the SunTeam that the guard (31) responded to a panic signal from guards at the mall about ATMs being bombed.
He was shot in the back with AK47s and R5s rifles.
He lost control of the Nissan NP200 he was driving and landed on the mall fence. He died on the spot.
A guard at the mall said they spotted more than 15 gunmen in several cars at the mall before the ATMs were bombed.
“Suddenly some of the gang members forced entry into the bank and continued bombing inside. At this stage it is not clear if money was taken from inside the bank. Some of the gunmen in a Toyota Quantum started firing at the guard in the van.
“The gang fired at the police who were on patrol on the R40 before fleeing from the scene,” said the guard.
Captain Ndlovukazi Mashele said: “It’s still too early for us to comment. The scene is still flooded with police, bomb experts and a forensic unit doing investigations.”
