Security guard fatally shot during ATM blast

South African Police Service

Security guard fatally shot during ATM blast
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) blast at the Oak Centre, Ermelo.

Police are following all possible leads that could results in the arrest of a group of about five men who fatally shot a security guard and injured another one during an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) blast at around 01:30 at the Oak Centre, Ermelo.

Information at police disposal revealed that the suspects, who were armed with rifles and handguns, driving in a white hatch back Mercedes Benz went into the shopping centre and blasted the ATM. The security guards who were on duty managed to escape and summoned assistance from their company who contacted the police.

Police, as well as the response vehicle from the security company, rushed to the scene. Upon arrival they were fired upon by the suspects. As a result of the gunshots by the suspects, one guard was fatally wounded while the driver was injured and rushed to hospital for medical treatment. The suspects managed to flee towards Hendrina with an undisclosed amount of cash.

In a separate incident, police have launched a manhunt for another group of about seven men who grinded an ATM at a shopping complex in Matsulu near Nelspruit around midnight.

It is alleged that three of the men accosted security guards at gunpoint, who were on duty at the complex. They forced them to the nearby public toilet where they were kept. Four more suspects, carrying a bag, joined in and went to the parcel counter and forced their way to the safe of the ATM. They then grinded the ATM and took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene.

Police urge any person who can assist with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to contact Brigadier Obed Ngwenya at 082 565 6417.

South Africa Today – South Africa News

SOURCESouth African Police Service