In the early hours of Monday morning, February 13, a resident in an Edgemead complex was woken by his wife who told him there was an intruder in their flat.
When he investigated, he found a man in the lounge trying to climb out an open window. The resident grabbed the intruder and dragged him back into the flat, but let him escape through the window when the man threatened to shoot him but instead pulled out a knife.
Meanwhile, the resident’s wife had alerted a neighbour who together with the homeowner chased the intruder, who injured himself as he got stuck on the spikes of the complex’s palisade fence.
Bothasig police arrived and arrested a 23-year-old man from Monte Vista. The resident’s cellphone was found on the suspect.
Back at the flat, the wife’s cellphone and the suspect’s car keys were found at the window he had climbed out of.
Police officers matched a car to the keys, and a knife and gloves used by the suspect were confiscated.
He appeared in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court for house robbery the same day.
Detective Sergeant Zandisile Ruka, said bail would be opposed for the man, who was already out on parole. The suspect had used a bin to gain entry to the first-floor balcony of the flat. It is unknown how he got into the complex.