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Motorist
claims two cops battered him
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Officer allegedly jumped into car asking if man had money
A VIOLENT attack on a Kempton Park man, allegedly by two police officers, has left him with stitches in his head and a bruised body. Speaking to The Star, Gerald Carey, 32, claimed he was on his way home at about 10pm on Thursday when he was pulled over by two police officers from the Chloorkop police station in Kempton Park. He claimed one of the officers asked him if he had any money on him. “One gentleman jumped into my car and started searching my car, asking me ‘where is the money’. I told him I don’t have any money,” Carey said His response seemed to have incensed the officer, who reportedly became aggressive and pushed him. “He ordered me to drive to a police station. As I drove, he told me to turn to another direction instead of going to the police station. “That’s when he began attacking me. He hit me with fists. I fought back and I crashed my car during the commotion. “The other police officer, who was driving a police vehicle behind us, stopped his car and pulled me out of my car. He threw me into their (police vehicle) and drove away,” he said in a quivering voice. One of the officers, wearing a balaclava, drove to a secluded area, where he allegedly assaulted him. Carey said that one of the officers attacked him with a baseball bat. “It was not easy for me to fight back because the two of them were assaulting me. They said they will teach me a lesson. “I fell to the ground as the attack continued. I got up and ran towards the road. One of them shouted ‘shoot him’, I continued running.” The badly injured Carey was rescued by security guards driving past, who took him home. His family phoned an ambulance and he was taken to the Tembisa Hospital, where he was admitted and put on a drip. He also got a few stitches in his head. Lacerations and bruises all over his body on Friday bore testimony to the attack. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: “I’m very sore. I can’t even move.” He would never forget the brutal attack he suffered at the hands of police. “I may not be scarred for life after the attack, but after this incident, I won’t trust police again. They attacked me because I refused to pay a bribe.” He lost his wallet and cellphone during the assault. Carey has opened a case against the officers, but said he had learnt that the one who initially demanded money from him had opened a counter-charge. Gauteng provincial police spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale confirmed that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate was investigating the matter. By Solly Maphumulo - solly.maphumulo@inl.co.za The Star 13/05/13 Early Edition |
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Crimes of the South African Police Service
