Police Called In as Gunman Holds Civilians Hostage in Durban’s Anton Lembede Street

Police Called In as Gunman Holds Civilians Hostage in Durban’s Anton Lembede Street

- An unidentified man held several members of the public hostage in a building located in Anton Lembede Street in the Durban CBD

- According to media reports, police in Durban acted swiftly and there were no reported casualties due to the ugly incident

- At the same time, Briefly News has gathered that the man has since been taken out of the structure and will be questioned by law enforcement agencies

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Briefly News has gathered that a hostage incident took place in the Durban central business district. The situation took place in Anton Lembede Street.

Latest media reports coming through to the Briefly News desk is that the suspect was allegedly armed with a firearm and an explosive device.

EWN has published a report saying that the South African Police and paramedics were on scene monitoring the situation.

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South African Police were called in after a gunman held civilians hostage in Durban. Image: @SAPoliceService/Twitter
South African Police were called in after a gunman held civilians hostage in Durban. Image: @SAPoliceService/Twitter
Source: Twitter

According to the website, Emer-G-Med paramedic’s Kyle van Reenen has confirmed the incident, saying the police and the explosives unit were at the scene.

“At this stage, reports from the scene indicate that a man in his 30s is on the 13th floor of this building. The police’s special task force and the explosives unit are also attending to the scene. It’s alleged he could be a former member of the South African Defence Force, however, that’s still to be confirmed.”

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No reported injuries

According to eNCA, nobody sustained any injuries and the police have the situation under control The television broadcaster says the suspect has since been removed from the building.

IOL has it that emergency services and police were standing off in Anton Lembede Street in the Durban CBD when the armed man allegedly took people hostage in a building. A source close to the publication said that roads leading to Anton Lembede Street were closed to traffic.

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Kidnapping captured on camera

In other crime stories, Briefly News reported that for many South Africans, the threat of real-life violence is an everyday reality.

When these crimes are caught on camera, it really helps to raise awareness about being more vigilant in our beloved country. A local man was caught completely off-guard recently when he witnessed what appeared to be a kidnapping in progress.

He captured parts of the terrifying scene on a video which has since gone viral on social media.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Phumzile Ngcatshe avatar

Phumzile Ngcatshe (Editor) Phumzile Ngcatshe is a staunch football fan and a lover of political and human interest stories. He launched his journalism career working for various community publications but eventually joined Goal.com where he worked until October 2020. In March 2021 Pumzile also started writing human interest, mainstream and sports news for Briefly News. Phumzile's love for writing saw him earn a national qualification in Journalism and Media Studies and a qualification in video and television production.

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