An ER24 paramedic found himself in a dangerous situation when he was held against his will by two armed robbers who attempted to make off with his personal belongings.
“The incident occurred when two on-duty paramedics from ER24 stopped at a local shopping centre in Paarl shortly after 7pm last night. One of the paramedics explained that he was waiting inside of the ambulance while his colleague went into the shop to purchase food,” Arrive Alive said in its statement on the incident. “Moments after his colleague exited the vehicle, two men pulled open the ambulance door and told the paramedic that they were armed and demanded money. One of the suspects went around the ambulance and opened the other door to go through the medics’ personal belongings.”
The two suspects reportedly demanded that the paramedic enter one of the shops to draw money and buy them valuable items, as they could not find anything of his that was “worthwhile”.
“While the two suspects were still with the paramedics, an off-duty Metro Ambulance medic recognised the ER24 medic and enquired if everything was alright. The suspects then fled the scene without anything,” Arrive Alive said.
The two ER24 paramedics reported the incident at the Paarl East police station, and some of the station officers requested that the paramedics follow them to the shopping centre. Upon their arrival, the police officers found one of the suspects and arrested him immediately.
The second suspect is still at large, but is reportedly known to the police. A case was registered at the Paarl East police station.
“We are glad that our paramedics were not injured in this incident and appreciate the off-duty Metro Ambulance medic who stepped in to enquire about the situation at the time. We also appreciate the fact that a suspect could be arrested so soon following the incident,” Arrive Alive added. “Sadly, theft of equipment, attacks against paramedics and robberies have become a daily occurrence in emergency medical services.”
If you have any information on the incident, please contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or send an SMS to the official Crime Line number, 32211, for anonymous tip-offs.
Picture: Supplied