Three suspected gangsters saw their gat when they tried to rob a Mitchells Plain man, who turned the tables on them instead.
Not only did the hero shoot one of his attackers, but he had three of them arrested, even though he’d been shot in the hip.
The trio, aged 19, 23 and 32, were nabbed on Monday and are expected to appear in court this week on charges of attempted murder and attempted robbery.
The men are believed to be members of the Fancy Boys and Ghettos gangs.
The 44-year-old man from Mitchells Plain, who asked not to be identified, says he had left his vehicle at a locksmith in Westridge to fix a broken key.
On his way back to fetch his vehicle, he took a shortcut over the Portland Sports Field and that’s when six skollies ganged up on him.
SCENE: Portland Sports Field. Photo: Jack Lestrade
The man, who is a licensed firearm owner, explains: “I was going to take a taxi from the Town Centre, but decided last minute to walk because the taxi only had one person inside and I thought it’s quicker to walk.
“I was wearing a peak cap and as I walked across the field, the men started making remarks that I must show my face. I asked them who they were to come and ask me that.”
He heard one of the men whistling to his brasse, who had been hiding behind bushes, and suddenly he was surrounded by six men, two behind him.
The man says he placed his hand at the back of his pants to indicate that he was armed and says he was forced to open fire when one of the skollies started shooting at him.
“The one shouted, ‘ die f**ken ding het’* gun’. When he started shooting at me, I shot back.”
“He fell to the ground and stood up again. I didn’t know then that I had shot him in the leg,” he says.
“He continued to shoot at me and I told myself, I don’t want to empty my magazine on one person because there are others and I do not know who else has a firearm.”
The man says he was hit in his left hip, but didn’t realise he’d been shot until later.
He started chasing after the two he deemed less of a threat.
“I started chasing the two and sent messages on WhatsApp to my friends in the police.”
When he arrived in Amsterdam Street, his friends met him and caught the two skollies.
His friend, a reservist, says when the man was taken to hospital for treatment, he came face to face with the gunman who had shot at him and had had him arrested as well.
“The gunman got his parents to take him to hospital and said someone shot him while he walked on the field. The victim saw him at the hospital when he went for treatment.”
HIT: Skollie landed up in same hospital as victim. Photo: Jack Lestrade
Police spokesperson, Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana says: “Three suspects, aged 19, 23 and 32, were arrested with the assistance of the victim and the community member.”