A man charged with 32 counts of armed robbery on Wednesday tried to escape from a police vehicle, only months after being rearrested following another escape, Pretoria police said.
Constable Brenda Kgafela said the man and nine others were being transported to the Pretoria High Court from the central prison on Wednesday. When the police vehicle turned into Vermeulen Street in the Pretoria city centre, a blue Volvo blocked its way.
”The driver tried to turn to find another route but was blocked by another car,” Kgafela said.
The driver then drove on the pavement until he reached the court.
”According to some of the suspects who were in the police van, one of the men had a Nokia 1100 [cellphone] and he was communicating with someone.”
Kgafela said police think the suspect was orchestrating an escape. ”The man who had the phone had escaped from police custody earlier this year, but was rearrested.”
She said the man escaped some months ago after a gang of armed men in a Mercedes-Benz ambushed a police van near Pretoria train station. ”The armed men approached the police van just as it stopped at a red robot and blocked it from passing.
”The men then held up the policemen while other members of the gang broke the lock and let the suspects escape.”
The armed robberies for which the man is in custody were all committed in the North West.
A case of attempted escape has been added to his list of alleged offences. — Sapa