South African police were caught in a gun fight with a gang of at least 15 suspected robbers Saturday night. According to the Associated Press, the South African Police Service responded to a tip that thieves planed on robbing a Protea Coin armed car depot in a suburb of Johannesburg. In the insuring shootout, a total of seven alleged robbers were killed, and another nine were wounded. No officers were injured.
“We believe we got the kingpin down. We are convinced that we got all the robbers – dead or arrested,” said Captain Paul Ramaloko told Sky News.
A total of 11 vehicles and four firearms were recovered by police at the scene. South Africa has been plagued with a rising crime rate, the result of its 40 percent unemployment rate among adults. Though the country’s national economy is growing, economic inequality is prevalent.
