A criminal case has been opened up at the Edenvale
police station against two Ekurhuleni metro police officers who allegedly
shoved and punched a motorist and his wife, Gauteng police said.
“A case was opened and it will be investigated by
Edenvale detectives,” Warrant-Officer Jean Olckers said today.
“It is a case of assault and intimidation.”
The case was opened by motorist Malcolm Brown
yesterday shortly after the incident near Modderfontein Road.
According to The Star, the Browns were allegedly
assaulted in front of their two children in Edenglen. Brown told the newspaper
he stopped at a red traffic light, and saw an officer on the road from a
distance.
When he drove on, he was flagged down by the
officer. When Brown stopped, the officer allegedly began shouting at him,
asking why he drove through a red robot.
Brown denied the allegation and was told he would
be getting a fine.
Brown alighted from his car and followed the
officer to give him his details.
While writing out the fine, Brown asked the officer
how he could see the traffic light from such a distance.
He allegedly responding by saying: “I am the law.”
Two other officers approached and also began
shouting at Brown. When Brown asked for their names, he was allegedly sworn at.
Brown took out his mobile phone and attempted to
shoot a video of the police car’s number plates when he was assaulted.
“As soon as I started to film, he grabbed my arms
and wrestled me to the ground. His colleague then also grabbed me, and the
officer in the film punched me in the chest,” he said.
Brown’s wife ran to him and was also pushed and
punched by an officer. The children watched from the back seat of their car.
“I could hear my kids screaming, so I grabbed my
wife and ran to our car, locked the doors and phoned the police.”
Brown said the officers then drove off. He
attempted to follow them but they were allegedly driving too fast, around 120km
in a 60km zone.
