Picture credit: Malungelo Booi/EWN

Four men were arrested following an attempted robbery, shootout and accident in Woodstock this morning. It is understood several armed men entered Deli Pies on Victoria Road and then tried to rob the business.

Staff told Eyewitness News the men entered the shop carrying suitcases but took weapons out minutes later. One of the staff members managed to trigger the alarm.

At the same time, SAPS members who were on patrol on the corner of Victoria Road and Roodebloem Street noticed “suspicious behaviour of four males at a fast-food outlet.” When they approached the suspects, one of them fired several shots at the members, who returned fire and wounding one of the suspects. When two of the suspects tried to escape, this led to an accident between a bus and a taxi.

Luckily the police members managed to arrest them before they got away. They were found to be in possession of a 9mm pistol. During a search inside the shop, the members arrested two more suspects who tried to hide from police arrest.

According to the SAPS website, they also recovered the suspects’ getaway vehicle, a white VW Golf, which was parked near the crime scene. No cash was taken from the shop and no police officials or bystanders were reported wounded during the shootout.

The four male suspects aged in their early 30’s will be charged for attempted armed robbery, attempted murder, and possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. They will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

[Source: EWN, SAPS]