Police shootout in New Brighton ends in arrest of 19-year-old after church robbery
Two firearms, ammunition, cellphones and a bakkie were recovered after a Saturday night robbery at a New Brighton church, and a 19-year-old now faces charges including attempted murder and armed robbery.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in New Brighton, Gqeberha, on Saturday night after a robbery at a church on Stofile Street, and police recovered two firearms, ammunition, cellphones and a maroon Isuzu bakkie in the operation that followed.
The arrest came after members of the Gqeberha Flying Squad responded to information about armed suspects travelling in the vehicle. As IOL reported on 20 September, police proceeded to Mama Street in New Brighton, where they spotted the bakkie with about four occupants.
What happened on Mama Street
According to the Eastern Cape provincial commissioner’s office, the suspects stopped when police approached, got out of the vehicle and opened fire at the officers before fleeing in different directions. At the intersection of Avenue B and Mama Street, a SAPS member returned fire.
One suspect was apprehended after allegedly dropping a firearm while attempting to flee. A second firearm was recovered from the backyard of a nearby house, where another suspect had allegedly run. No police officers were injured.
Preliminary investigations linked the suspects to the church robbery. Police said church personnel who were preparing for the Sunday service were robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash and cellphones, and the suspects then fled from the church in the maroon Isuzu bakkie.
What the police recovered
Officers recovered a black 9mm Taurus firearm with its serial number filed off, a magazine and two live 9mm rounds. A second firearm, described as a black-and-brown 7.65mm firearm, was also recovered along with its magazine and two live rounds.
Police also recovered the maroon Isuzu bakkie, various catering equipment and tools, as well as two cellphones.
The arrested 19-year-old faces several charges, including attack on police, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of prohibited firearms, business robbery, armed robbery and hijacking. He is expected to appear in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court during the week.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate was notified of the incident, a standard step when police discharge a firearm in the course of an operation. The investigation is continuing, with police pursuing the outstanding suspects.
Why this matters in the Eastern Cape
New Brighton is one of Gqeberha’s oldest and largest townships, and the church robbery happened on the eve of a Sunday service, when congregants and church staff were preparing for worship. The recovery of a firearm with its serial number filed off is a specific detail that matters in the Eastern Cape, where the proliferation of untraceable firearms has been a persistent concern for police and for the communities they serve.
The Flying Squad is a specialised SAPS unit deployed to respond to serious and violent crime. Its presence in New Brighton on Saturday night, and the speed of the response, is the reason a church robbery ended in an arrest rather than in a continuing hunt for four armed men.
The case now moves to the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court, where the 19-year-old will appear during the week. Police have said they are pursuing the outstanding suspects, and the investigation remains open.
Source: IOL, 19-year-old arrested after Gqeberha church robbery, two firearms recovered
