Cop shot in head by ATM bombers

2012-06-07 14:25

Johannesburg - A policeman was shot in the head early on Thursday morning after four men bombed three ATMs in Jouberton, outside Klerksdorp, North West police said.

"Three ATMs were bombed at a shopping complex in Extension 2, Jouberton, by four unknown suspects during the early hours of this morning around 02:00," said Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.

A police officer living near the shopping centre heard the explosion and called the police. A security guard at the complex also pressed a panic button before he was overpowered by the four men.

The men, armed with an AK47 rifle, shot at police when they arrived. Constable Tshepo Bandjies, 29, was shot in the head and transported to hospital where he was in a serious but stable condition.

The men fled the scene in a car and hijacked bakkie, with the bakkie later found abandoned near the scene.

Police were searching for the men. No arrests have been made.

- SAPA