Twelve armed men attempted to gain access to a SAPS building in Pretoria.
Fani Mahuntsi/Gallo Images
- A police officer was shot and wounded when 12 suspects attempted to gain entry into a SAPS building in Pretoria.
- While News24 has not yet established what was being kept in the building, police dismissed speculation that the suspects were attempting to steal police uniforms.
- Two sources told News24 that the suspects must have been given inside information about what was stored in the building, and when the perfect time would be to attempt a break-in.
Suspects posing as police officers who attempted to gain entry into a South African Police Service (SAPS) building in Pretoria, were given inside information about what was being stored.
Late on Sunday evening, a Ford Ranger, which was allegedly fitted with police lights and a siren, arrived at the SAPS buildings.
While security guards were speaking to the driver, who was dressed in a police uniform, a group of armed men emerged from behind the bakkie and overpowered the guards.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, there were at least 12 suspects.
After the guards were tied up and two suspects kept watch over them, the rest of the armed men proceeded directly to a specific SAPS building.
READ | Manhunt launched for 12 men who posed as police officers in attempt to gain access to SAPS building
While the suspects were trying to gain access to the building, an on-duty police officer noticed the commotion and intervened.
A shootout ensued, and the police officer was wounded.
“The armed men fled the scene with the member’s service pistol, car keys, a petrol card and R145 in cash,” Mathe said.
She added that the wounded police officer was rushed to hospital, where he is in a stable condition.
One source told News24 the evidence pointed to information being fed from the inside, while another said that only a few people knew what was being kept in the building.
“This means that the outside people who tried to access it got inside information,” a source said.
“They also knew that there would not be a lot of police officers in the building at the time.”
Mathe said police were not at liberty to discuss what was stored or kept at the building for security reasons.
She also cautioned members of the public from circulating false and misleading reports about the incident.
“No police uniforms were stolen during the incident,” Mathe said, adding that the motive behind the attempt to access the building was under investigation.