South Africa: A person was handcuffed for attacking a hit and run suspect. The arrest was one of 213 reported by the City’s Law Enforcement and Traffic officers in the past week.
According to the sources, the arrested person tried to help by catching the suspect, but eventually, it turned out either way.
Reportedly, on Saturday, March 02, 2024, just seconds before, 10:00 p.m. the Law Enforcement Auxiliary Officers responded to a motor vehicle accident along Nelson Mandela Boulevard.
Upon reaching there, the witnesses informed the officers that the two motorists were involved in an altercation before one stabbed the other and ran away.
They also indicated that the attacker witnessed a hit and run which lead up to the stabbing incident and followed the driver responsible while calling it in to emergency services.
Later, the stabbing victim was treated by officers on the scene until the arrival of EMS. The alleged attacker was detained at Woodstock SAPS after returning to the scene spot.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security—Alderman JP Smith stated that this situation escalated very quickly, and someone who was trying to do good deeds found themselves on the wrong side of the law.
“We often speak about the importance of public involvement in our efforts against crime and wrongdoing; however, we cannot have a situation where people take the law into their own hands,” said JP Smith.
Alderman Smith emphasised that instead of all this, gather as much information and details about an incident as possible, such as descriptions of the people or vehicles involved, number plates, and exact location, and relay them to the correct authorities so that they can act on them.
All in whole, the Law Enforcement officers have arrested 177 criminals in the last week and have issued 3,563 notices for various transgressions.
The Traffic service counterparts have arrested 29 motorists for driving after consuming alcoholic drinks and seven for reckless and negligent driving.
The officers also recorded the offences-related cases, totalling 63 084. The cases mainly involved impounded 147 public transport vehicles and executed 1,847 warrants of arrest.
Moreover, the Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded, 1, 939 incidents over the weekend that included 168 assault cases, 36 domestic violence incidents and 64 motor vehicle accidents.