KEY POINTS
- The incident from Pretoria in South Africa happened on April 22
- Security officer Leo Prinsloo is seen composed as he outraces robbers
- Several bullets are seen hitting the windows of the truck
A dashcam video showing the moment an armored cash-in-transit vehicle coming under the attack of armed robbers has gone viral for its adrenaline-raising action and the composed response of the security guards.
The incident from Pretoria in South Africa happened on April 22 when members of a private security company were transporting money in a truck.
The three-minute video shows a security officer, identified as Leo Prinsloo, behind the wheels of a Toyota Land Cruiser. He is accompanied by another officer, Lloyd Mthombeni. Both are seen wearing bulletproof vests.
While Prinsloo, unfortunately for the robbers, is a former member of hostage rescue and counter-terrorism organization South African Police Service Special Task Force, Mthombeni is just a week old in his job, reports Vice.
Though it is unclear as to what happens outside the vehicle, Prinsloo is seen looking repeatedly at the rearview mirror and senses something wrong. Immediately, the van's windows are struck with bullets as Prinsloo springs to action, maneuvering the van through the traffic. At one point, Prinsloo rams into one of two vehicles, an Audi A5 Sportback, chasing his van.
Besides the Audi, the robbers used a pickup truck, evident from the footage from the outward-facing dashboard camera on Prinsloo’s truck.
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According to Benjamin Bunn, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier and combat veteran, Prinsloo was quite clearly prepared.
"Stay buckled up and keep moving in a vehicle, and that’s exactly what that guy did and ensured he kept moving the entire time and drove out of what was more than likely a kill zone created by the people who tried to rob them," said Bunn, while analyzing the footage for Task And Purpose.
By kill zone, Bunn means the "spot where you wait for your target to enter before opening fire because it ensures they’re in the worst possible position."
"If you stay inside the kill zone, you’re gonna die," Bunn adds. "f you’re in an ambush, what you want to do is move out of, and assault through a kill zone,” he says.
And, Prinsloo does exactly that. Though his breath races, Prinsloo is totally in control of the situation, outracing the robbers. Several shots continue to hit the truck as Mthombeni too remains composed, listening to Prinsloo's instructions.
"They're going to shoot. They're going to f------ shoot," Prinsloo was heard saying. He immediately instructs Mthombeni to prepare the AR-15 style rifle for action as he continues to drive. He also hands over his phone to Mthombeni, instructing him "Phone Robbie. Phone Josh. Ask them where they are."
Eventually, the robbers leave the chase as the Toyota Land Cruiser appears to get stuck. Prinsloo exits the vehicle armed with the semi-automatic AR-15. The clip ends after that.
Though Prinsloo and Lloyd escaped unhurt, the vehicle suffered damages. "The driver of the CIT vehicle managed to evade the robbers for a while but later stopped in wait for the robbers. The robbers fled without taking any money. No arrests have yet been made," said police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo.
The video has gone viral on YouTube and Prinsloo is being praised for his courage. But, his daring act, which foiled the heist has resulted in death threats for Prinsloo, who is now under protective guard.
Representational image Photo: Pixabay
