Youths flush out armed thugs from mall as police watch
A video has emerged online showing how bare-handed but daring youths stormed into a shopping mall in Eastleigh and fished out a gang of armed robbers as police watched in amusement.
Police had blockaded the Sunrise shopping mall early Tuesday morning after suspecting that armed robbers were holed up inside.
The armed robbers are believed to have entered the mall at 3 am and triggered an alarm.
The police sealed off all exits of the mall during the operation, as they waited for the arrival of an elite squad that was expected to flush out the gang.
The video shows how the impatient youths took matters to their hands and stormed the shopping mall chanting war songs and counting on their numerical supremacy to overcome the armed gang.
Soon after breaching through the doors on first floor, they overcame one of the suspects, disarmed him and ripped off his clothes to his inner wears.
They descended on him with blows and kicks, but the suspect somehow managed to jump to the ground floor and quickly ran to an armed Administration Police officer for protection.
As the pandemonium grew, the police started firing in the air to disperse the crowd that was baying for the suspect’s blood.
Mr Abdirahman Issack, an eyewitness who recorded the end of the siege using his phone camera, says only one suspect was arrested after local youth daringly stormed into the building while police officers were waiting outside.
“There was a rope at the back of the mall. Most of them left via that route,” he said.
The video was recorded from the rooftop of the Easteleigh social hall.