Incredible footage captures failed cash-in-transit truck heist in South Africa

Leo Prinsloo (L) has been praised for keeping a cool head. Old mate on the right looks a bit nervous. Photo / Supplied

Heart-pounding footage has captured the moment a cash-in-transit truck in South Africa comes under a hail of bullets in a failed heist.

Video of the high-speed chase has gone viral online, with many praising the heroic actions of the driver and likening him to a real-life Jason Bourne.

The incident highlights the warlike daily conditions faced by security officers in the crime-ridden nation.

The two-and-a-half-minute clip, recorded on April 22 from inside the truck cabin, shows the two men, both of whom are wearing bulletproof vests, coming under attack on a busy Pretoria road.

The driver glances in the rear view mirror moments before a black sedan pulls up alongside and series of loud bangs can be heard as a volley of bullets hits the reinforced glass of the Toyota Land Cruiser.

He immediately begins to take evasive action, manouvering through traffic to escape.

He tells his partner to grab a rifle and get ready. "Cock the gun," he says.

As the chase continues, he warns his partner, "They're going to shoot. They're going to f***in shoot."

Leo Prinsloo (L) has been praised for keeping a cool head. Old mate on the right looks a bit nervous. Photo / Supplied

Another hail of bullets hits the truck, stopped by the glass on the passenger side.

The driver then hands a phone to his partner.

"Phone Robbie, phone Josh, ask them where they are," he says.

The truck eventually jerks to a halt. The video ends as the driver grabs the rifle from his partner and exits the vehicle to confront the attackers.

The video ends as the driver grabs the rifle and exits the truck to confront the attackers. Photo / Supplied

Photos posted to social media showed the aftermath of the incident.

Good for the 2 in the van pic.twitter.com/gdnJVrkRIf

— Crazy African (@AfricanCrazy20) April 30, 2021

South African Police spokesman Brig Vish Naidoo on Saturday confirmed to Times Live that the incident happened on the N4 in Pretoria on April 22.

"The suspects fired several shots at the CIT vehicle in an attempt to stop it during a high-speed chase," he said.

"The driver of the CIT vehicle managed to evade the robbers for a while but later stopped in wait for the robbers. The robbers fled without taking any money. No arrests have yet been made."

In a statement on Facebook, security firm Fortis Pro Active Defence Solutions identified the driver as Leo Prinsloo, a former member of the SAPS Special Task Force and the head instructor of its "Lone Operator" courses.

"We have been inundated with calls and WhatsApps (regarding) this incident and the driver," the company wrote.

"We can confirm that it is indeed Leo Prinsloo. However, Leo is currently unavailable for comments regarding the incident as it forms part of an ongoing investigation."

A YouTube upload of the video has been viewed more than 10 million times, while one on Twitter has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

"They couldn't make a movie about this guy. Not one actor out there could mimic this type of bravery," one person commented on YouTube.

One wrote, "In South Africa you don't say 'call the police' you say 'call Robbie, call Josh' cos you know them guys gonna do more to help you than the police."

Another added, "These guys don't get paid nearly enough."