This is the moment a cash-in-transit van being chased by armed robbers escapes by speeding into a shopping mall when it was mostly empty of visitors during the early morning.

The incident took place in Umlazi, a township southwest of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, just after 6 am on Wednesday, 30th April.

CCTV footage showed the CIT van approaching the mall’s side entrance at high speed, with a white Toyota bakkie carrying the armed suspects in close pursuit.

As the van turned into the passage leading into the shopping centre, the suspects hesitated and then stopped, seemingly surprised by the vehicle's manoeuvre.

The footage captured the suspects turning the bakkie around and fleeing the scene after firing a single shot into the air to intimidate bystanders.

With only a few shops open at that early hour, the van had an unobstructed path through the mall's internal corridor.

Driver of cash-in-transit vehicle drives into shopping centre to escape armed robbers in Umlazi, South Africa, on Wednesday, 30 April, 2025. The police are investigating. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash/NX)

The van continued to speed through the corridor before coming to a halt outside a shop entrance.

The two guards quickly exited the vehicle and fled into the shop for safety, followed moments later by the driver.

All three appeared to believe that the suspects might still be chasing them inside the mall.

One store employee who witnessed the incident said: "I just saw the van flying through the passage and the guards looking tense. It was like something out of a movie."

Police confirmed they are investigating the attempted robbery and are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the suspects.

No arrests have been made and no serious injuries were reported although all three guards were treated for unspecified minor injuries.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)