Five suspects arrested after armed robbery at Lamberts Bay liquor store

Five men aged between 19 and 36 were arrested following an armed robbery at a liquor store in Burrel Street, Lamberts Bay, on Wednesday evening, 12 August 2026.

The incident occurred at approximately 19:05. According to police, the complainant was inside the store attending to customers when four unidentified males entered. The suspects ordered everyone present to lie face down on the floor and demanded money. Three of the men went to the cash register area. One of them pointed a firearm at the complainant’s head and issued threats.

The suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, alcohol from the shelves, and the complainant’s cellphone. They left the premises while the complainant and customers remained on the floor. No one was injured during the robbery. After the suspects departed, the complainant got up and contacted the South African Police Service.

An alert was issued regarding the robbery and the direction of travel of the suspects’ vehicle. Piketberg SAPS members on patrol spotted a white Hyundai SUV containing five males at a nearby petrol station. Officers stopped the vehicle and conducted a search of the occupants and the vehicle.

Police recovered one firearm with eight rounds of ammunition, five cellular telephones, a knife, several bottles of whisky, and cash believed to have been taken during the robbery at the Lamberts Bay store. The five suspects were arrested at the scene and detained at Piketberg SAPS.

Piketberg police registered cases of possession of an unlicensed firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and possession of suspected stolen property. The investigation into the business robbery remains ongoing. The five suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday, 17 August 2026.

Local reporting identified the store as the Blue Bottle liquor outlet (also referred to as Weskus Blue Bottle Liquors) on the corner of Burrel Street and Voortrekker Street in Lamberts Bay. Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the details of the incident, the arrests, and the recovered items.

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