SAPS Arrest Suspect Who Shot at Helicopter in Rosettenville CIT Incident in Tembisa, Weapons Seized
- A tenth suspect has been arrested in Tembisa in connection with the Rosettenville shooting and foiled cash-in-transit heist
- The South African Police Service discovered that the suspect was in possession of weapons and ammunition when they arrested him
- The newly arrested suspect is believed to have fired bullets at an airborne police unit, which sparked the shootout
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JOHANNESBURG - The South African Police Service (SAPS) has arrested a tenth suspect in connection with an attempted cash-in-transit heist in Rosettenville, which became a shootout between armed men and SAPS officers.
SAPS located the suspect in Tembisa, where he is believed to have fled after the incident in Rosettenville. He was found in possession of weapons and ammunition, which SAPS has seized.
Faith Mazibuko, the provincial MEC for Community Safety in Gauteng, said that the suspect is believed to have fired shots at a SAPS helicopter and its pilot, who were part of an operation to intercept the planned heist.
Source: Getty Images
What is known about the Rosettenville incident so far
According to TimesLIVE, eight of the 25 suspects have died due to fatal gunshot wounds sustained during the incident. Four SAPS officers are receiving hospital treatment for severe injuries.
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Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, the police commissioner for Gauteng, has warned the suspects who fled the scene that SAPS will find and apprehend them. Mawela said that this not only applies to the Rosettenville suspects, but all criminals in the province, News24 reports.
"It is up to all the criminals in Gauteng to make a decision – either they stop what they are doing or we force them to stop. Those who have already committed a crime, like this one, either they hand themselves in, or we will come to fetch them," Mawela said.
South Africans react to Rosettenville suspect's arrest
@KgosiMalele asked:
"The war has been declared, @PresidencyZA. What are you going to do?"
@Marshal38712550 believes:
"The sad part is that your so-called world-class constitution will protect them. In no time these people will be back in the streets committing the same crime again. Even in jail, they will be living like kings."
@terencematera remarked:
"Destroy the guns before your members circulate them back to a new gang."
@javiersoso_1 said:
"I'll never understand why wanted criminals keep the evidence they're wanted for with them. He would have eaten fewer charges had he gotten rid of these."
@AzaniaAfrica3 shared:
"At least one criminal is out of the streets."
Ipid corrects previous Rosettenville claims: No cops died or were involved with suspects
In other news about this incident, Briefly News recently reported that on 23 February, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) claimed that a police officer died in a shootout between South African Police Service (SAPS) officers and a gang of 25 armed men in Rosettenville. Ipid also claimed that some of the suspects were in cahoots with SAPS officers.
However, Ipid has now retracted these claims and said that not only was there no SAPS involvement in the incident, but an officer did not succumb as a result of the shootout. They also went back on a prior claim that two police officers fled with nine of the suspects from the scene of the incident.
“There was confusion between injured police and criminals who died. This created distorted information because some police officers were not wearing uniforms and were confused with criminals," an Ipid spokesperson said.
Source: Briefly News
