A man accused of several robberies and assault in Windmill Park was January 8 around 3.30pm rounded up by the community and severely assaulted.
A tyre was place around his neck, apparently with the intent of necklacing him.
The incident happened near the intersection of Rondebult and Injankomo streets in Windmill Park, said Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago, spokesperson for the metro police.
Fortunately, an police vehicle en route to Westbury stopped to investigate and a short period later the EMPD Public Order Policing Task Team members, who had also arrived on the scene, requested back-up as the community members were irate.
The community members were persuaded to stop the mob justice and the man was rescued and an ambulance summoned to attend to his injuries.
Kgasago said two women among the crowd came forward, alleging that the suspect was responsible for robbing one of them of their handbag, a cellphone and R250 cash. Only the handbag and the cellphone were recovered by the police.
The other woman claimed she witnessed both the robbery and the assault.
The 18-year-old suspect, who already had a tyre around his neck, was rescued from the mob and an ambulance transported him to a hospital in Vosloorus for medical attention. He was later detained at Dawn Park Police Station.
