A man has been arrested after allegedly trying to hijack a delivery truck in Longmarket Street on Wednesday April 10.
The man was caught by City Central Improvement District (CCID) guards and the public, who noticed that something was wrong, when the driver of the truck crashed into a pole on the corner of St George’s Mall and Longmarket Street.
According to a witness, the truck was doing a delivery in Burg Street when a man went up to the driver, pointed a gun at him, got into the driver’s seat and drove the truck around the corner, and then crashed into the pole. The witness said the hijackers ran, but the CCID guards gave chase and caught one of them in St George’s Mall.
CCID security manager, Muneeb Hendricks, said the hijackers caught the attention of the patrolling CCID officers when they allegedly struggled to operate the truck.
“The public safety officer immediately called for backup and approached the truck. This resulted in the suspects fleeing the scene with the officer in pursuit. The officer apprehended the driver on the corner of Hout and St George’s Mall and a replica firearm and knife was found in his possession.”
The man was held by the CCID officers until police arrived minutes later.
Distriliq, the company who owns the truck, did not respond to questions from CapeTowner by the time of going to print. The Cape Town Central Police also did not respond by printing time.
“Due to the diligence and alertness of the patrolling CCID public safety officer and the quick reaction by the CCID response team, a serious crime and a potential public disaster was averted,” said Mr Hendricks.
“We would like to commend our officers for their prompt and professional manner in which they handled the hijacking.”
He encouraged the public to report all suspicious behaviour in the CBD directly to the CCID control centre on 082 415 7127 for an immediate response.