Staff Reporter
An 18-year-old suspect is expected in court soon after he was arrested for robbing a Vrede butchery in a short-lived crime escapade.
The teenager allegedly attacked an employee at a butchery and made off with a cellphone and a small amount of cash yesterday before he was later arrested by the police.
Police say the young man seemingly tried his luck when he approached the employee who was alone in the butchery at about 10am saying he was looking for work.
The employee told him there was no work and that she wasn’t the owner of the business.
The suspect is said to have asked for the owner’s contact details to which the woman replied she was not allowed to give the number to strangers.
Police say it was at that point that the man decided to launch his attack.
“The suspect walked towards the door, which was kept open with an iron pipe,” said provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele in a statement.
“He pulled the iron pipe from the door and it (immediately) closed, which left the victim and the suspect alone inside the shop. He then pulled the victim by her jersey to the kitchen,” he added.
The woman, according to the police, thought the suspect was going to stab her with a knife when he pulled out something from his pants and hit her on the forehead with an object.
“He then went to the till, took R700, as well as her cellphone, which is worth R2 000. He ran away. The victim called for help and the owner of the building came to assist,” said Makhele.
All police units were immediately activated and the suspect was arrested.
The iron pipe and the cellphone were recovered but the money could not be found.
The suspect was also found with a knife in his possession.
He will appear before the Vrede Magistrates Court facing charges of business robbery and possession of a dangerous weapon.
