Knife-Wielding Assailant Stabs 3 In Botched Robbery Attempt At Equity Bank, Nairobi-West Branch

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct, 11 – A lone knife-wielding robber has been hospitalized at the Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi county after he was shot by police in a failed robbery attempt. 

According to Lang’ata Sub-County police commander Monica Kimani, officers drawn from the area were quickly dispatched to the scene in an attempt to apprehend the assailant and save lives.

Preliminary reports indicate that the incident occurred at around 11.04 AM on Tuesday.

The assailant is said to have arrived at the bank where he viciously stabbed two security guards stationed at the entrance before proceeding to the Operation Manager’s office.

“A middle-aged man while being searched by a security guard drew a knife and stabbed the said security guards and gained access to the bank and straight to the counter where he managed to stab another customer,” said Kimani.

While being holed up at the Operation Manager’s office, he is further said to have attempted to stab her before she called for help. Two police officers within the bank’s vicinity quickly rushed to the scene where a confrontation ensued.

Attempts by the officers to urge the robber to surrender proved futile.

“Our officers who were guarding the bank managed to get into the banking hall…at the time asked the assailant to surrender and drop the knife but he didn’t. He charged towards the officer and this prompted one of our officers to shoot at the assailant and managed to disarm him,” she said.

The three injured victims are in stable condition and are receiving treatment at the Nairobi West Hospital.

The robber was also rushed to Mbagathi Hospital.

Witnesses told Shahidi News that they heard screams which were shortly after followed by gunshot sounds.

“I was just about to order food at the restaurant opposite the bank when I heard gunshot sounds, everyone was running and we were scared for our lives,” said a witness.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were also at the scene and managed to interview some of the staff members including the Bank Manager.

Cyber Crime officers in the afternoon sought access to the CCTV footage in a bid to establish the chronology of events amid scrutiny of the footage in order to determine whether the robber was working alone.

Investigations are ongoing with the branch currently closed.