MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A man allegedly pulled out a toy gun and threatened to kill a Mossel Bay shopkeeper after being told to smoke outside, not inside the shop, last night, 8 June.
Police have said a suspect, aged 38, has since been arrested.
KwaNonqaba Police Station spokesperson Warrant Officer Kappie Kapp said a man reportedly entered the shop in Maqabangqa Street, KwaNonqaba, just after 19:00 and asked the shopkeeper for a cigarette and a lighter.
It is alleged he lit the cigarette and began smoking inside the shop. Kapp said that when the shopkeeper asked the man to puff on his cigarette outside the store, he allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to kill him.
When the shopkeeper told the smoker he would call the police, he fled the store.
The man, allegedly known to the shopkeeper, was arrested by the KwaNonqaba Police shortly after the incident and a toy gun was found in his possession.
Kapp said the man had been charged with the pointing of an imitation firearm and was expected to appear in the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court soon.
Another fake firearm
Just more than a week ago, another man (40) was arrested after he was allegedly found in possession of an imitation firearm.
Kapp said the man was arrested in Calitzdorp Street, KwaNonqaba, on Saturday night, 31 May.
He said a member of the KwaNonqaba Police Crime Prevention Unit had been conducting a routine stop-and-search when, at about 23:00, he allegedly saw a man trying to conceal what the officer thought was a firearm.
Kapp said that when the suspect noticed the officer had seen him trying to conceal the fake weapon, he ran into a house nearby.
The police officer followed the man and entered the house, where he found him and the imitation firearm.
The man was arrested and appeared in the Mossel Bay Magistrate's Court on Monday, 2 June.
Kapp said the management of KwaNonqaba Police Station commended the Crime Prevention Unit for its swift action and the resulting arrest.
He said imitation firearms were often used to commit crimes in the community and the more of them confiscated, the less of a threat they would be.
Kapp also urged people to report to their nearest police station, any incidents of people keeping imitation firearms as well as unlicenced firearms.
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