Residents looted a law enforcement van in Valhalla Park over the weekend and attacked officers.
A video circulating on social media shows dozens of residents looting an empty Law Enforcement Advance Plan (Leap) van. One resident can be heard shouting “brand dit uit, brand dit uit” (burn it down).
According to the City, the officers involved in the incident were deployed as part of an operation in the area on Friday (12 September).
They heard gunshots on, at approximately 15:26, and responded. They came across a man running with a firearm. He pointed the weapon at the vehicle and the driver swerved to avoid him, lost control of the vehicle and hit a wall, injuring the three occupants of the van. While the officers were attending to the injured, bystanders turned on them, stoning the officers, looting the vehicle and attempting to set it alight.
Three more law enforcement vehicles that responded to the scene were stoned. The injured officers were taken to Tygerberg Hospital for treatment.
“The Leap officers have been debriefed and are receiving assistance through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP),” the City said in a statement.
Sergeant Wesley Twigg, provincial police spokesperson, said that a 27-year-old man was arrested for public violence and theft out of a motor vehicle.
“The possibility that more charges will be added is not excluded,” Twigg said. The City has made available a R20 000 reward for information about the incident.
Anonymous tips can be directed to the City’s 24/7 TIP-OFF LINE: 0800 110 077 (free call). Identities will be protected and the information kept confidential, the City said.
