A group of Law Enforcement officers saved the day when they caught a cellphone thief red-handed after a smash and grab incident involving a female cop and her fiancée along Robert Sobukwe Road.
Wendy Hicks, 32, who works in the police’s fingerprinting department and her fiancée, Gilbert Mcfarlane, had been travelling in a 4x4 bakkie along Robert Sobukwe Road near Ravensmead and Malawi informal settlement on 3 April when a man dove inside the vehicle through an open window and grabbed a Huawei cellphone.
Wendy says the cellphone was on the dashboard.
“My fiancée had responded to a voice message and didn’t lift the cellphone,” explains Wendy.
“The man jumped inside, even his shoulder was inside and he took the phone and ran to the (Malawi) camp.”
VICTIM: Wendy Hicks, 32
Wendy says they chased after the man in the camp, but stopped when they came to a vlei.
Gilbert later returned with a friend and they spotted the skelm sitting at the same robot with the cellphone in his hands.
It was then that they approached Law Enforcement officers who were on their way responding to an illegal electricity connection incident.
They arrested the skelm who claimed the phone was his mother’s.
Wendy thanked the officers for their swift assistance: “They helped to get the cellphone back and we are so happy.”
SAVIOURS: The Law Enforcement officers
Inspector Wayne Dyason of the City’s Law Enforcement commended his men for jumping into action: “The officers walked to the bus stop and after a brief scuffle arrested the suspect.
“One of the officers was bitten by the suspect during the struggle. The stolen phone was recovered.”
genevieve.serra@inl.co.za