A Durban man has heaped praise on a hero security guard who took on three hijackers as they tried to steal the man’s car.
At the end of the dramatic shoot-out at the intersection of Shepstone and Henwood roads in Pinetown, the guard had shot two of the hijackers and had himself been wounded in the leg.
One of the wounded hijackers managed to flee in a getaway car, while his accomplice was arrested by police and taken to hospital.
Maganathan Moonsamy was sitting in his car in front of Maxi Door on Henwood Road, waiting for the business to open, when two armed men approached his vehicle.
Guns
Both men were at either side of the vehicle when they pointed their guns at his head.
Moonsamy said the men did not speak and then turned their guns on the guard as he approached.
Unknown to Moonsamy, a Pro Force security guard who was parked in the same area had watched the men approach his car.
The guard, whose identity is being protected, approached the car and the hijackers opened fire.
“I must’ve been parked there for about five minutes and suddenly I saw firearms pointed at me. I just froze. Then a security guard emerged from an unmarked car and the gunmen saw him. I don’t know who shot first but shots were exchanged and I took cover,” said Moonsamy.
He said the shooting lasted for a few minutes and when he lifted his head he saw two of the hijackers had been downed by the guard who was taking cover.
“I admire his bravery, his commitment to protecting people from these bandits. I’m lucky to be alive, thanks to him because in some cases hijack victims are abducted, and some are found dead. This is scary because it seems we have more of these thugs and they are everywhere,” he said.
Recovering
Pro Force spokesperson Anthony Swart said the guard was recovering in hospital.
“Our officer went to the business in an unmarked vehicle and was doing routine checks. He spotted the suspects in a maroon Toyota as they emerged and had made their way towards a parked Opel Corsa. Guns were drawn but he knew an innocent man had to be saved from the gunmen,” said Swart.
He said the men turned their attention to their officer and opened fire.
“He returned fire and hit one thug in the leg and the other one in the upper body. He was hit in the leg but he is in good spirits. We respond to these incidents in the Pinetown area almost every day,” he said.
He said a Z88 pistol was recovered from the scene and that the man who was shot in the upper body was arrested while the other escaped.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said a 39-year-old suspect was wounded.
“The suspect is in hospital under police guard.” The arrested suspect will appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court soon.
Another guard shot
Meanwhile, a security guard who was wounded when he took on four AK47 wielding robbers on Friday has been advised by doctors that the bullet lodged in his neck will not be removed.
The Witness reported on Tuesday that a Marshall Security officer drove himself to hospital after robbers opened fire on him. He was responding to an alarm at a house in La Lucia.
As he drove into the driveway a man opened fire and three more men came out of the house and opened fire.
He was hit in the right shoulder and the bullet stopped two millimetres from his spinal cord between the neck and the shoulder.
Yesterday, the officer told The Witness that he had the wound cleaned and was he was told that it was dangerous to remove the bullet.
“I was told it would remain where it is forever. But if it moves on its own closer to the skin, then they can operate and remove it. I guess that’s not gonna happen any time soon,” he said.
