A Mitchells Plain doctor has told the Daily Voice how he bravely fought off a skelm who pretended to be a patient in his surgery.
Dr. Shamiem Adams, 68, was left with stitches on his ears and a bruised hip after wrestling with his “armed” attacker at his surgery in Park Avenue, Rocklands, where he’s been serving the community for 40 years.
On Tuesday at around 10am, while his two staff members went to a nearby shop, an unknown man called at the security gate posing as a patient.
“The guy said he wanted to come see the doctor so I went to open,” explains Dr. Adams.
“As he walked in, he said, ‘I’m here to rob and shoot you, give me your phone and wallet’.”
TARGET: Surgery in Park Avenue, Rocklands
But the good doctor says he wasn’t intimidated by what looked like a toy gun.
“He looked hesitant so I tried to talk him out of it,” he says.
“When I went closer, he stepped back and I tried to grab the gun. I ended up with half of it in my hand.
“I then realised it’s not a real gun and wrestled with him, he hit me with the other part of the gun, against my ear.
“He obviously couldn’t shoot and I got up and he stepped outside but came back demanding the slide portion of the gun back, and then I hit him with that, and he ran off.”
Dr. Adams says he went to the surgery next door for assistance where he received three stitches.
He was instructed by the doctor to go home but decided to stay: “I couldn’t leave, I still had patients to see.”
TARGET: Surgery in Park Avenue, Rocklands
Dr. Adams says he still made grappies last week about being robbed, due to everyone wearing masks because of the Coronavirus.
“I told my patients, everyone who comes here looks like they want to rob me, with all these masks covering their faces.”
Dr. Adams, who was back at work on Wednesday, says the attempted robbery was a wake-up call.
“Doctors need to take this as a lesson and up their security because the area is quiet during the lockdown.”
He added that there's no case yet: “SAPS said they would come to me for a statement, but never returned.”