Man locks up drunk cop
2013-01-16 15:34
Russell George
explains how he locked up an allegedly drunk police officer in the back of his
own police van. (The Witness)
LungaBiyela, The Witness
Pietermaritzburg - A KwaZulu-Natal man
arrested an allegedly drunk police officer and locked him up in the back of his
police van after watching him drive recklessly through the streets of
Pietermaritzburg.
Russell George, of Prestbury, said he was
coming down Stott Street and about to enter Mayor’s Walk at about 20:00 on
Sunday when he noticed a police van driving fast and recklessly.
“He was driving towards oncoming traffic as
he turned into Victoria Road.
Accident
“At this point I was concerned about the
safety of other road users,” self-employed George told The Witness.
“He suddenly jammed on his brakes and came to
a complete stop.
“I got out of my car and went towards him and
I asked him if he knew what he was doing. He started his car and carried on
driving,” he said.
Continuing to drive recklessly, the policeman
turned into Logan Road and came to a stop at the Howard Road intersection.
George decided it would be best to call
10111. He was told the police would be there shortly.
“After five minutes, no one had arrived. So I
jumped out of my car and I approached the driver’s side and asked him to come
out. He looked at me and I could smell that he had been drinking.
“I asked him again, and he refused.
“I then grabbed his keys, pulled him out and
locked him in the back of his own van,” George said.
He added that the police van was badly
damaged, as if it had been involved in an accident.
Birthday
celebrations
KhanyiMnikathi, a witness who lives on Howard
Road, also said the policeman was drunk when he was pulled out of the vehicle.
She said: “He was quite sloshed. He was weak
enough for him to be pulled out and into the back of the van.
“When he was put into the back [of the van],
he started crying.”
She said the police officers who arrived
there “were quite embarrassed”.
“It was ironic because it was a citizen who
put him in the back of his own van,” she said.
Mnikathi said that when her mother approached
the officer to ask him what happened, he said he had been celebrating his
birthday and that all his friends had bought him a bottle of alcohol. “He did
not deny that he was drunk,” she said.
Another witness, who gave his name as Sbu,
agreed that the officer was very drunk.
The policeman was taken to Loop Street police
station.
It was alleged that police had recently been
called to a nightclub in the city where the officer had held up his girlfriend
at gunpoint.
George said that while he was giving his
statement, “two men came into the station to report that a police van had
crashed into [their vehicle] and fled”.
Charges
Police spokesperson Joey Jeevan confirmed
that the policeman had been taken into custody.
“He will be charged with driving while under
the influence of alcohol,” she said.
“While he was in custody, we received a
report that he had been involved in a collision in Prestbury.
“He is also going to be investigated for
reckless and negligent driving,” said Jeevan.
She added that police were aware of an
incident “where there was a problem with his girlfriend”.
She said an investigation into an assault was
pending and that the officer’s firearm had been taken away.
ZweliMnisi, spokesperson for Police Minister
NathiMthethwa, said justice should prevail and that the investigation should
take place without prejudice.
