A City of Cape Town Metro Police officer suffered from a back injury and bruises after being hit by a taxi that refused to stop at a roadblock in Philippi.
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On Tuesday afternoon, the official, attached to the Tactical Response Unit, was on duty at a roadblock along Stock Road. At around 3pm, a taxi driver refused to stop at the roadblock, hit the officer with his vehicle and sped off, as Eyewitness News reports. However, officers managed to recover the vehicle but the driver made a run for it.
According to the City’s JP Smith, later in the evening, the suspect was taken to the Philippi East Police Station by the vehicle owner.
In addition, the taxi driver has been detained on charges of attempted murder, reckless and negligent driving, fleeing the scene of an accident, failing to comply with lawful instruction and defeating the ends of justice.
“This incident is shocking but not surprising, it’s also not the first time that one of our officers has been targeted in this manner. Fortunately, this time the injuries were not fatal and we’re incredibly grateful for that,” Smith said.
Furthermore, Smith has condemned the incident and the suspect must be prosecuted accordingly.
In conclusion, Smith commented by saying: “We call on the criminal justice system to prosecute this suspect to the fullest extent of the law. The city also thanks the vehicle owner for helping track down the suspect and ensuring his arrest.”
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Picture: Metro Police Cape Town/ Facebook