Gauteng law enforcement authorities are in search of a large group of suspects who, on Wednesday afternoon, stormed into Lakeside Mall in Benoni and robbed the centre in broad daylight.
Watch: Lakeside Mall robbery caught on CCTV
Video footage of the gob-smacking scenes that played out in the mall’s parking area surfaced on social media, showing at least three vehicles involved in the brazen robbery.
At least 15 armed suspects were caught on camera running out of the shopping centre and loading stolen goods inside the vehicles. It’s pretty clear that the robbery, albeit premeditated, was pulled off in haste.
In a statement, police spokesperson Mavela Masondo provided details on the wreckless and amateurishly-executed Lakeside Mall robbery. From what we understand, the armed robbers targeted a specific shop inside the mall and, without warning, released gunfire.
It’s believed at least one employee was struck, but the injury was non-life-threatening.
The robbers piled a number of luggage carriers with stolen goods and headed for the exit, shooting at random inside the mall to clear their way toward the exit.
The CCTV cameras caught the moment the robbers hastily made their exit, completely panicked.
The suspects rushed into the three vehicles and blinded by adrenaline, some of the robbers carrying the large sack of stolen goods dumped it on the side of the road in a bid to make it out of the scene.
“About 15 suspects stormed into one of the shops at the mall and shot the employees firearms before loading floats into the bags. On their way out, the suspects started shooting randomly as they were running towards getaway vehicles,” Masondo noted.
At this time, police have yet to issue an update on the manhunt for the 15 suspects involved in the Lakeside Mall robbery. It’s believed the alleged robbers are still at large and considered highly dangerous.
Here is the CCTV footage of the brazen daylight robbery:
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