Kabelo Tlhabanelo
The three robbers arrived at a block of rental rooms armed with guns and a knife, but within minutes the man with the knife was running away while the two gunmen lay injured on the floor.
It turns out they were no match for a beer bottle.
On Monday night at around 10pm, the knifeman and one of the gunmen entered one of the rooms in Phazama section of Phamong Village near Tseki, Free State while the other waited outside as the lookout.
This was the suspects’ second robbery of the night. They had already been to another room where they stole a tenant’s laptop.
But when they entered the room, they found the tenant calmly sipping his beer. When the thugs started going through the room, the man carried on drinking the beer – until the robbers had their backs turned.
That’s when the man hit the gunman over the head with his beer bottle and a struggle for the gun ensued.
Police said that during the struggle the gun went off and injured the suspect.
“Apparently, there was a third suspect who was waiting outside who fired a shot into the room upon hearing a gunshot,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele.
The complainant, who had managed to wrestle the gun from the injured robber, then returned fire, striking the second gunman who fell to the floor injured.
The third suspect who had a knife, as well as the other tenant’s laptop, fled the scene.
He said police were dispatched to the scene whereupon they discovered the two injured suspects.
Police say that they believe the suspects could be linked to a shooting which happened in the same area last week where three students were shot dead.
Both suspects could be below 30 years of age and are currently under police guard in hospital being treated for their injuries. They will be charged with house robbery, attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
They will appear before Tseki Magistrate’s Court after they are discharged from hospital.
