Two
suspected thieves who swooped on a clothing store in Somerset West were
arrested following a high-speed chase involving authorities.
The
incident occurred around 15:40 yesterday (Thursday 11 August) when the two men
targeted Mr Price in Main Road and afterwards attempted to flee with its looted
clothes.
It is
believed the men, posing as customers, helped themselves to clothes from the
shelves before running out of the store and jumping into a getaway car.
According
to Sergeant Suzan Jantjies, spokesperson for the Somerset West police, members
reacted swiftly to information received of the incident and successfully
pursued the maroon Mazda 323, which had sped off in the direction of the N2
towards Cape Town.
“The
vehicle was flagged down on the highway just past Somerset Mall,” she said. “Both
suspects abandoned the vehicle and tried to run away, but were apprehended and
taken into police custody.”
The
suspects, aged 40 and 49 from Paarl, were expected to be charged with theft and
to appear in the Somerset West Magistrates’ Court.
The
looted clothing, which were still on hangers, was seized by police and returned
to the store.
Somerset
West Police Station Commander Colonel Jacolize Fleischmann commended the
members for the outstanding arrest, adding that police will oppose bail.
The same
Mr Price branch, which occasionally has fallen prey to brazen criminality, was
targeted by armed robbers around the same time last year. DistrictMail
previously reported that an undisclosed amount of cash and several cellphones
were looted when three armed men pounced on the store on Friday 13 August
(“Three robbery suspects released,” Thursday 19 August 2021).
The armed robbery was thwarted by police, who, aided by privately employed armed response officers united in the fight against crime, responded swiftly to the incident and nabbed the suspects. However, despite authorities’ swift response and arrest, the three arrested suspects were released as they could not be positively linked to the incident.
