Five robbery suspects crash into Chatty river

A HIGH-SPEED car chase ended dramatically yesterday when five suspected robbers crashed their getaway vehicle and landed up in the Chatty River, Port Elizabeth.

They had allegedly robbed the Twinnz Cafe house shop on the corner of Whyteleaf Road and Birchwood Drive in Algoa Park.

"Three men jumped over the counter and held the owner at knife-point while opening the tills and stealing the money," police spokesman Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said.

"The three suspects then fled on foot. However, a bakkie was parked nearby with two more suspects inside. They sped off in the direction of Kleinskool."

Eyewitnesses alerted police and described the bakkie.

"A police vehicle then passed the bakkie while en route to the robbery. A high-speed car chase ensued. As they were entering the Arcadia area on the Old Uitenhage Road the driver lost control and drove straight into the river," Labans said.

The five suspects, between the ages of 21 and 24, were arrested and the stolen money recovered.

They are expected to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court on Monday. - Gareth Wilson