A screenshot of one of the Honeydew police officers captured in the video during the altercation.
A video depicting an altercation between a civilian and police officers at Honeydew Police Station has been circulated online, reports Roodepoort Northsider.
Ruth du Toit, who shared the video on Facebook, wrote a long post about how her friend was allegedly made to withdraw R2,500 when she was pulled over by police. The post also explains how she was received when she went to the station to inquire about the officers who pulled her friend over, and allegedly took her personal items.
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The post read: “My friend was pulled over last night by cops and was threatened.. They wanted to arrest her and told her she thinks she is privileged cause she is white!!!!!!…….. They made her draw R2 500 to let her go.. She was not drunk or even over the limit.. They took her phone, driver’s licence and shoes and told her they have her ID number so they can find [out] where she lives….. Therefore out of fear she drew the money… I went to Honeydew Police Station where a man sitting in the commander’s office confirmed there was an earlier road block.. I asked that vehicles must be tracked so we can see which vehicle stayed behind, [and thus] we will find the officers responsible…. Another officer responded (the man in the video) say[ing] Jhb police vehicles have not been tracked for the last 3 months ??? I asked for his badge number so I [could] escalate what he had just told me.. He refused.. I then turned on my video camera and this is what happened next!!!!!”
In the video, police are heard trying to explain the situation to the complainants. However, one of the women, believed to be the complainant, is heard accusing the police officers of getting away with murder. When the person making the video tried to capture the face of one of the officers, her cellphone was slapped away and the video went out of focus.
Honeydew Police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said the incident has been escalated to the station commander Brigadier Anesh Maharaj, who will analyse the video and call in the members involved to explain what transpired.
Muthan also criticised the woman who is heard accusing police officers of getting away with murder.
“The officers tried explaining to her, but you can tell from the video that the lady was arrogant, even saying officers get away with murder. People are very quick to run to the newspapers and social media and tell one side of the story,” Muthan said.
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