Cop held over B Bay garage robbery

AN OFF-DUTY Duncan Village police officer has been detained for questioning in connection with Sunday’s armed robbery at a Beacon Bay petrol station and convenience centre.

The detention of the officer and two men, all in their 20s, was confirmed by Duncan Village police spokesman Captain Steven Marais.

Marais said the constable was a member of their visible policing unit at Duncan Village police station.

A senior source in the family-run business, who asked not to be named, reacted with shock to being told that a policeman could be involved in the crime: “It is beyond belief.”

An unnamed robber died in the final showdown in Leaches Bay and warrant officer Killian Steyn bullet through his left arm.

Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday, Marais said police had “received info and swooped on the men in the Red Shacks area of Leaches Bay on Monday night.

He said the constable and his associates were being held to establish if they were linked to a car occupied by suspicious characters seen near the shootout scene in Leaches Bay.

“They have not been charged, and the investigation is continuing,” he said.

The robbery began soon after noon at the Beacon Bay station when the garage owner was hit over the head with a gun and the money stolen after a brawl.

A wild car chase across town ensued in which the gang fired at police

took a from their silver Mercedes Benz.

It ended in a deadly gun battle in the Leaches Bay settlement.

Children and infants were at risk during the violence, both at the Beacon Bay petrol station and in Leaches Bay, the Daily Dispatch learned yesterday.

On Sunday police said they were looking for an armed and dangerous fugitive, but yesterday Marais could not confirm if the fugitive was one of the three men arrested on Monday.

“That is part of the investigation,” he said. —