An off-duty police officer on Wednesday morning reportedly thwarted a robbery attempt by a gunman, who had held four Probox occupants hostage in Samburu County.
A police report indicates that the Probox vehicle, carrying three civilians and a cop, was en route to a shopping center in Samburu County when the incident occurred.
A masked gunman reportedly ambushed the vehicle, standing in the middle of the road and pointing his firearm at the oncoming vehicle, signaling it to stop.
The driver complied and pulled over before the gunman, who was wielding a G3 rifle, instructed the occupants to exit the vehicle and lie down. They followed the directive to avoid provocation.
The police report added that the gunman demanded Sh10,000 from each of the four occupants to spare their lives. He proceeded to search each person for valuable items.
During a search on the police officer, the cop reportedly grabbed the rifle muzzle and tried to wrestle the gunman to gain control of the weapon.
A physical altercation unfolded, during which the officer successfully overpowered the gunman and disarmed him.
Nevertheless, the gunman managed to escape towards a gully in a nearby thicket. The officer tried to shoot him with the rifle, but the attempt was unsuccessful, as the firearm only had one bullet left in the chamber.
Officers from Archer’s Police Station and the multi-agency team from Kalama swiftly responded to the scene and recovered the firearm. The victims were escorted to the police station, where they provided statements.
Police mentioned that the assailant robbed the officer of Sh1,000 during the scuffle.
