High speed vehicle chase ends in successful arrest
03 May 2021
The City’s Traffic Service, Law Enforcement and Metro Police departments arrested 160 suspects during weekly patrols. Traffic officers also issued more than 64 500 fines and apprehended a suspect in a stolen vehicle in Mitchells Plain. The driver, who chased through a vehicle checkpoint was later arrested by officers. Read more below:
On Saturday, 1 May 2021, just after noon a traffic officer on his way to a checkpoint in Mitchells Plain, noticed a vehicle with a damaged windscreen driving at high speed on Swartklip Road. The officer pursued the vehicle which was heading towards the road block on Swartklip and Morgenster Road.
The driver blazed through the road block where another officer joined the chase.
They managed to stop the speeder between Highlands and Morgenster Drive and when he was arrested, the 32-year-old claimed his reason for speeding was that he was being assaulted by the public after he had been in a motor vehicle accident.
His allegations didn’t hold up and further investigation revealed that the vehicle was hijacked on Spine road at an accident scene. During the hijacking, the driver (of the hijacked vehicle) was stabbed.
He was asked for his driver’s licence and when attempted to flee on foot, he was apprehended again and charged for hijacking and assault.
‘The alertness, swift action and persistence by the traffic officers that led to the arrest of the suspect who hijacked the vehicle must be commended. To hijack a vehicle at an accident scene speaks of opportunistic crime and is testament to what lengths criminals will go to meet their objective. It also shows that these criminals have no respect for the right of law abiding citizens and they pose a serious danger to other road users,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
During other operations traffic officers arrested 54 suspects, impounded 12 vehicles, 119 cell phones and issued 64520 fines.
Law Enforcement
The City’s Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officers arrested 42 suspects of which 25 were for drug related offences, 16 for the possession of dangerous weapons and one for house breaking. Officers also issued 49 Traffic By-law related fines.
Metro police
Metro Police officers arrested 63 suspects of which 29 were for the illegal possession of drugs. Officers also issued more than 4 500 traffic related fines. Illegal substances confiscated included 95 mandrax tablets, two packets of tik, six bags of dagga and 10 small packets of tik.
‘The issuing of fines by our enforcement agencies is an important crime prevention intervention which officers will keep on doing and intensify so that it sends out a clear message that everyone should adhere to the rules of the road. Successful arrests is a further step in getting criminals off the street and out of the community. Arrests also assist in criminal investigations as a lot of suspects arrested turn out to be habitual offenders and it is important to have them arrested and handed over to SAPS as it often prevents a more serious crime from being committed,’ said Alderman Smith.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
