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2008-01-12
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Liela Magnus, Beeld

Pretoria - A Tshwane metro policeman and a motor sport enthusiast are fighting for their lives in Pretoria hospitals after a wild shoot-out with a number of armed robbers during an international race at the Zwartkops racing track on Saturday.

Tshwane cop Edwin Reynolds, 30, who was on point duty at the entrance to the racing track on Saturday morning, was crippled by a single shot.

During the gunfight at the David Piper International show, racing enthusiast Deon Smit, 52, was wounded in his right side.

He was shot below the ribs and is recovering in the high-care unit of Pretoria Academic Hospital.

Shot at close range

Smit said from his hospital bed on Sunday that he definitely would be dead if the robber's clip had not fallen out of his pistol.

The robber shot him at close range through his car door.

Edwin's brother, Erick Reynolds, was in sombre mood at Unitas Hospital. He was "just thankful that my brother is alive".

"He was just doing his job."

Smit was in his car in the queue waiting to go in, just behind six of the robbers in a bakkie.

He related that some of the robbers jumped off the bakkie and one fell against his car.

The man walked right to the driver's side and shot him through the door.

Smit said: "There I was, in all innocence, waiting to go into a place I had paid for when the guys in the bakkie in front of me jumped down, and start firing left and right."

A security guard from Ubuntu Security shot the robber who had wounded Smit, from behind.

The robbers fled with three vehicles and R1 500 from the ticket office after firing at people, and in the air.

Another Ubuntu Security guard returned the fire and is thought to have wounded a second robber.

Louise Brits of Tshwane metro police said the reservist, who was working with Reynolds, was making coffee when he heard what sounded like crackers going off.

The man's name cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

When he spun round, he stared into the eyes of one of the robbers, who was about three metres away from him and Reynolds.

The robber's automatic weapon apparently jammed.

Reynolds fired at him in self-defence, while he and the reservist sought shelter behind two bakkies.

The robbers opened fire on them, shooting up the bakkies and wounding Reynolds.

Reynolds and Smit were airlifted by helicopter to Unitas Hospital in Centurion.

Smit was later transferred to Pretoria Academic Hospital.

Two cars found abandoned

Roxanne Tucker, 16, Natalie Joubert, 14, and Maquita Buitendag, 15, who were working in the ticket office at the entrance of the racing track, said the robbery was frightening. They had no intention of working there again.

Shortly afterwards, the police found two of the cars used in the robbery a few kilometres from Zwartkops track, at Mooiplaats.

Both had blood in them, and police were able to lift fingerprints from one of the vehicles.

It's suspected the vehicles were hijacked earlier.