At around midday on 11 February, residents arrived at their property in Cosmos Avenue, Morningside, to find a white Mercedes Benz parked in the driveway. The resident said he grew suspicious when he saw a man dart away but fortunately at that same moment, Fidelity ADT Reaction Officer John Mpofu arrived on the scene responding to an alarm activation from the property.
As Officer Mpofu drove past the property, a suspect came out of the house and pointed a rifle at him so he immediately told the residents to drive away from the property saying there was a robbery in progress, which they did. He called for back-up. As the back-up Officer arrived, the suspects climbed into the Mercedes and sped off. A car chase followed through Morningside and Sunninghill until the suspects headed onto the highway and sped off.
The Fidelity ADT Officers entered the property to investigate. One of the suspects had been left behind and he had climbed into the neighbouring property where a domestic worker spotted him. The Officers apprehended him and he was handed over to the Sandton SAPS.
The resident’s son expressed his thanks to the Officers saying they had possibly saved his parents lives. “The robbers were heavily armed and my parents could easily have been taken into the house or injured if a gunfight had broken out. The quick arrival and clear thinking of Officer Mpofu as he arrived made all the difference,” he says.