Police and security specialists are urging the public to stay away from cash-in-transit crime scenes after bystanders were killed while trying to collect scattered banknotes during a violent robbery in Dawn Park, Gauteng.
According to police, two people died on Monday when gunfire erupted as robbers attacked an armored cash vehicle on Barry Marais Road. The cash truck was rammed by a silver Mercedes-Benz and overturned onto a minibus taxi carrying seven passengers. Five were injured and treated at the scene, while two escaped unharmed.
A gang of roughly eight suspects then bombed the cash van and fled with an undisclosed amount of money as shots were exchanged with security guards.
Security strategist and former Interpol ambassador Andy Mashaile warned that rushing to grab loose cash is both illegal and life-threatening. “The moment a robbery takes place, the site becomes a crime scene,” he said. “Anyone scrambling for money risks being shot by the robbers—or later targeted if the gang returns to recover what was taken.”
He added that disturbing evidence at the scene can compromise investigations and put entire families in danger if criminals seek revenge.
Police say investigations into the Dawn Park robbery are ongoing.