A 55–year-old man has been praised for his brave action after snatching an AK-47 rifle from a robber who had attacked him at Chaka Market, Nyeri County.
Irungu Mwangi was accosted last night around 8 pm while walking home after work when he was attacked by the suspected robber near Chaka Primary School before he was pinned down and asked to surrender all the cash he had.
Luckily, Irungu with an assault rifle pointed at his chest, only had a Sh200 note in his pockets that he handed over to the robber who was prompted to ransack his pockets while placing the gun on the ground next to where Irungu was laying.
According to a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the 55-year-old Irungu managed to wrestle the robber to the ground and grabbed the firearm before taking charge and turning the hunter into the hunted.
“Irungu shoved the assailant to the ground and grabbed the firearm, leading to a brief scuffle as the thug tried to regain control of the firearm. But it was too late for him as Irungu had held the firearm tightly at the pistol grip and the hand guard, giving the thug little chance of regaining the assault rifle.” DCI stated.
The attack would have been fatal had Irungu known how to operate a firearm.
And as he fumbled with the machine, aiming at the attacker but not knowing what to press, the robber fled into the darkness.
Police on patrol had Irungu record a statement and it was established that the gun with serial number KP 4915512 with a magazine loaded with 15 rounds of 7.62mm special, was reported stolen from Nairutia police station in Kieni West Sub-county, on April 15, 2022.
The officers also recovered an Administration Police beret from the scene of the scuffle. The suspect, however, is still at large.
