Brutal attack on female cyclist: Man arrested
She was stabbed and also smashed over the head with a brick
The suspect wanted in connection with the brutal attack on 30-year-old Carla van der Westhuizen was arrested this afternoon (November 3).
The man was caught after a massive manhunt, followed by an intelligence-driven operation led by Ladysmith detectives. They were close to capturing him earlier this morning, but he managed to slip through the net. However, later in the day, they managed to trace him and make the arrest.
Van der Westhuizen was stabbed, allegedly by the suspect, while she was while she was waiting for her cycling partner in Farquhar Road shortly after 04:30 on Thursday morning (October 31).
She was stabbed three times with a knife while  the robber attempted to wrestle the bike from her grasp. One of the stab wounds, according to doctors, could easily have killed her if it had gone a centimetre deeper.
Realising she would not release the bike, the robber grabbed a brick and smashed her in the face; the first blow cracking her cycling helmet and the next a glancing blow to the face. In the struggle, she slipped and let go of the bike. The robber jumped onto her bike and pedaled away.
Police recovered the bike on Friday, after it was sold for R200, allegedly by the suspect.
The suspect, who is known to police, will face attempted murder charges, among other charges.
Read the full story in this week’s Ladysmith Gazette.
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