/ 9 September 2007

East Rand casino robbed by armed gang

An armed gang of about 15 men shot and wounded several people in the Carnival City casino on Johannesburg’s East Rand shortly after midnight on Sunday, police said.

”A gang of between 12 and 15 armed suspects stormed Carnival City and robbed cashiers and customers,” said police spokesperson Captain Jethro Mtshali.

They fired shots inside, wounding several people and assaulted one customer with a firearm. The gang also robbed patrons of cellphones and wallets.

Police confronted them at the exit as they tried to make their getaway in several cars and a shoot-out ensued. Two police officers were wounded and were in a stable condition.

An undisclosed amount of cash was taken and the men were still on the run.

”Later a minibus and a BMW were found abandoned in Rondebult, Boksburg,” said Mtshali. – Sapa