An intense video recently went viral showing the driver of a Cash-In-Transit Toyota Land Cruiser making a daring escape from an attempted robbery. That crew may have gotten away, but Cash-In-Transit vehicle heists are actually almost a daily occurrence in South Africa.
On April 22, a group of armed robbers opened fire on a Toyota Land Cruiser Cash-In-Transit (CIT) vehicle, reports News24. These vehicles tend to transport money or valuables from one place to another. The criminals got off some shots at the cab, but thankfully its occupants were protected by bulletproof glass. Inside, the CIT vehicle’s driver, Leo Prinsloo made an excellent escape while his partner, Lloyd Mtombeni, prepared for a worst-case scenario. Video of the extreme ordeal was captured by a camera inside of the Land Cruiser:
And a new video shows what was going on ahead of the Land Cruiser:
Prinsloo’s driving skills and cool demeanor in such a stressful situation likely saved his life and the life of Mtombeni. While many see Prinsloo as a hero, a story by SA Trucker reveals that that he’s also been the recipient of death threats following the escape.
South Africa is no stranger to Hollywood-style robberies where armed thieves shoot up or even blow up armored CIT vehicles. According to the BBC, the wild robberies of of these CIT vehicles are so common that they happen on practically a daily basis. Police and activists agree that a huge part of the problem is organized crime, from BBC:
The gangs, according to Yusuf Abramjee, an anti-crime activist, range in size from about 10 to 20 members, and are just as confident in conducting a broad daylight strike in the cities as they are out in the countryside.
And when they strike, they are well prepared: AK47s, other assault rifles and commercial-grade explosives – allowing them to blow the back of a van off, and then walk away with the money.
The robbers start off small, working up from home robberies to eventually become a part of the many gangs involved in the almost daily CIT vehicle heists. To throw an extra curveball into the mix, Anneliese Burgess, a journalist, has found that sometimes the police get involved in these heists by helping the gangs stay out of trouble for payment, reports BBC.
Given the hardware often used in these heists, Prinsloo and Mtombeni are lucky. The robbers fled without taking any money and sadly, have not been caught.
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