Tow-truck drivers block hijackers

[genetic]

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/tow-truck-drivers-block-hijackers-1.1424977#.UKcD4IZw98E

Cape Town - Tow-truck drivers turned into heroes on Thursday when they sped after hijackers and cornered them in their high-powered vehicles.

The drama unfolded just after midday in Main Road, Diep River.

The owner of Speedy Towing and Spares, Frans Conradie, explained: “A British American Tobacco company truck was hijacked outside the 7-Eleven by four armed guys.

“They took the truck down a side street, locked the two drivers in the back, loaded the contents into their vehicle and sped off.

“One of my drivers heard what was going on and sped after them.”

The tow-truck driver was soon joined by four fellow drivers in their superfast bakkies, and the five drivers caught the getaway car.

“They cornered it, forced it to stop, kept one in his car with his hands up, then called the police. They caught one, but three ran away on foot.”

Conradie said: “There are four armed guys, yet my team put their lives in danger. They did so because it’s in our neighbourhood and we do not allow criminals to run free here in our community.

“We are on the roads here 24 hours a day and end up catching 90 percent of the thieves in this area.

“We are very happy to offer a public service like this.”

Conradie said it had also been the drivers who discovered the BAT employees locked in the back of the truck.

The company had later phoned with its thanks.

BAT spokeswoman Itumeleng Langeni said the company “would like to commend the tow-truck drivers for their quick response which ultimately prevented the hijacking”.

A witness said the boxing in of the hijackers’ car had “looked like something out of a movie”.

Most people (including myself) despise tow truck drivers, but it's good to see that not all of them are out there to shaft the joe public...

 

[froot]

Ooh... An honest and good-hearted vulture. Not many of them around. Hi5.

 

[intel8080]

Only in SA WTF The one caught criminal did give some more info. Apparently at first, he could not speak Afrikaans or English and asked for a Xhosa interpreter. The tow-truck drivers would not buy his excuses and after some "persuasion" he gave some info about his accomplices and the locked drivers. The SAPS were slow to react but are now investigating. +1 for the community, -1 for the criminals and -10 for the reporter. He should go back to school and learn how to report properly.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Those guys are something else. When I worked in Plumstead the locals all told me to first phone the tow truck guys then the police regardless. This was 10yrs ago, glad to see nothing has changed.

 

[waynegohl]

Across the road from me a friend has a house shop and his delivery of cigarettes came and was followed by an armed escort but I have only seen this happen once.

 

[intel8080]

Across the road from me a friend has a house shop and his delivery of cigarettes came and was followed by an armed escort but I have only seen this happen once.

:O You are not serious are you? WTF

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Across the road from me a friend has a house shop and his delivery of cigarettes came and was followed by an armed escort but I have only seen this happen once.

There are some Somalians selling ciggies down the road from me (opposite my wifes business) and they are in a parking lot. They have no weapons but local security and law enforcement are always keeping an eye on them - where else will these guys get their ciggies if this guy cannot trade anymore.

 

[waynegohl]

There are some Somalians selling ciggies down the road from me (opposite my wifes business) and they are in a parking lot. They have no weapons but local security and law enforcement are always keeping an eye on them - where else will these guys get their ciggies if this guy cannot trade anymore.

I was standing outside chatting to my next door neighbour when the delivery van pulled up across the road. Behind him was a 4 x 4 type vehicle and I think it was part of the Fidelity Group and they pulled up in front of my house. The one guy in the Fidelity vehicle worked with another neighbour of mine here so they were talking and he got out and the driver went to stand right across the driveway of my neighbour who owns the shop. I thought this was strange because why would he block the delivery van at the house shop. The next minute the driver of the delivery van comes out and tells the Fidelity guard driver that he is leaving now so they move out and off they go. We asked the neighbour who was speaking to his friend what was going on and he said they were hired to protect the drivers and obviously stock of the company supplying cigarettes as they often get hijacked but like I said I only saw this once but will try and see if it happens again.

 

[LazyLion]

Tow truck drivers helped me track down a witness to an accident the other day.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

When I had my house fire the 2nd group of people to arrive (after the neighbors) and help were 2 tow trucks. Was surprising but most welcome.

 

[FlatspinZA]

http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/tow-truck-drivers-block-hijackers-1.1424977#.UKcD4IZw98E



Most people (including myself) despise tow truck drivers, but it's good to see that not all of them are out there to shaft the joe public...

I don't know what causes you to despise them - they're only doing a job, and it is first-come-first-serve in their world, so what choice do they have but to race to the scene?

Here in Limpopo, Tzaneen in particular, local business funded the tow drivers so they could have first aid training as they are normally first on the scene. They had been getting bashed on FB for being vultures, until one of them explained that they were open for libel (without proper training) if they helped anyone at the scene of an accident. Local business paid for it and now they're ready to help wherever they can.

We all have to make a living - kudos for your mention, but I am sure there are many cases where their assistance goes unnoticed.

 

[ponder]

...so what choice do they have but to race to the scene?

Break laws and kill people in the process is ok then? They have killed people before in case you are wondering. Don't see why some should get special privilege.

 

[FlatspinZA]

Break laws and kill people in the process is ok then? They have killed people before in case you are wondering. Don't see why some should get special privilege.

Perhaps the have killed people before, but then so have perfectly normal people driving to work killed people before - should I start hating everyone on the road, or painting them all with the same brush? It's not only tow-truck drivers that drive like hooligans - there are tons of people out there driving like hooligans.

 

[ponder]

Perhaps the have killed people before, but then so have perfectly normal people driving to work killed people before - should I start hating everyone on the road, or painting them all with the same brush? It's not only tow-truck drivers that drive like hooligans - there are tons of people out there driving like hooligans.

Yeah but as an industry the majority are guilty.

 

[FlatspinZA]

Yeah but as an industry the majority are guilty.

As a nation, the majority are guilty.

I will admit that I have done some crazy things on the road in my time - East London to Johannesburg in 6 hours, with stops, at night? Luckily, I never injured anyone.

I'm not perfect, and I have calmed down a lot since then, but the times do happen when I put foot if I feel it is safe to do so.

It's easy to point fingers at people that are just trying to bring home some extra bacon to buy their child some new shoes, but we don't have to do it, do we? I am not saying that the whole lot have shoes to take home to their children, and most of them probably are dicks, but let's not paint everyone with the same brush just because that is the generally accepted opinion?