Man leopard-crawls to safety

2007-08-06 22:50

Alet van Zyl

Johannesburg - In what motorists said sounded like "the start of the Third World War" eight security guards were wounded in a cash-in-transit heist on the East Rand N12 highway on Monday morning.

Captain Jethro Mtshali said about 12 robbers, presumably armed with AK-47 assault rifles, had been following a Coin security van in five vehicles at about 08:45.

Just before the Craft Road offramp, some of the robbers in a blue BMW rammed the security Van.

The robbers and four security guards who were escorting the security van in a white Toyota Condor, started firing at each other.

Wimpie Hanekom, a motorist who ended up in the cross-fire, said when he had driven past the Condor and seen two guards lying down, he thought at first that they had been in an accident.

'The guys were wearing balaclavas'

"One of the security guards indicated that I should stop and he told me to take cover.

"When I looked up, I saw the guys (robbers)wearing balaclavas in the street, blasting another car with AK-47s.

"I did a 'leopard crawl' to the back of the car, because I can't walk..my leg's broken."

"I saw a security guard about a metre away from me when I looked up and he was shooting over the top of my car."

"I realised I had to get away and got back in my car, but the guard told me to wait.

"I realised he was using my car as a shield and I thought 'his moer' and I reversed (around the corner again)," Hanekom said while he sat waiting in the queue for the police to re-open the route.

The highway was closed for more than five hours.

Seven of the guards sustained minor injuries.

The other guard was admitted to the ICU of Glynnwood Hospital in Benoni. He is in a stable but serious condition.

- Beeld