He thought he’d hit the jackpot when he robbed a cellphone shop, but this skelm’s luck ran out after he was caught by wakker shoppers and security guards at a mall in Somerset West on Sunday afternoon.
The cellphone dief was caught with his loot and was tied up and guarded as mense waited for police to arrive.
The suspect, a 23-year-old man, was nabbed after he and two cronies robbed the Vodacom store in Somerset Mall of seven cellphones.
His accomplices managed to escape.
In a 44-second video that has gone viral on social media, the man, dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, can be seen being pinned to the ground by three shoppers and security guards.
The suspect lies flat on his stomach and one man, wearing a red striped T-shirt, is holding his voete.
Another man, in a blue T-shirt, can be seen holding the suspect’s hands behind his back, while the third man in blue jeans can be seen tying the suspect’s hands with a multi-coloured neck tie.
The person filming the video can be heard saying: “Ja, moer hom.”
The person filming then zooms in to the head of the suspect, and blood can be seen coming from a cut in his head.
A security guard, with a radio in hand, can be heard saying: “Yes, I don’t know...He was caught stealing something there.”
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, says the suspect will be charged with theft.
“On Sunday afternoon, a 23-year-old suspect was apprehended by security personnel after he and two accomplices stole seven cellphones from a cellular store in Somerset West,” he says.
“The two accomplices managed to flee and are being sought. The suspect is due to make a court appearance in Somerset West on a charge of theft.”
Following a Daily Voice query, Mandy Bellamy, a spokesperson for Somerset Mall, sent out the following statement:
"On Sunday, 28th April 2019 at approximately 16h50, three unarmed suspects entered Cellucity and within seconds grabbed twelve display smartphones from a cabinet and fled the centre.
"With the assistance of the public, mall security apprehended one of the suspects. The other two suspects unfortunately managed to escape.
"Security recovered six of the twelve stolen smartphones. Somerset Mall would like to take the opportunity to thank the public for their assistance with this incident."