UPDATE: Eye witness accounts of Makhado suspect’s confrontation with police
Witnesses describe a 'Hollywood-style' confrontation where a man stabbed a police officer before being fatally shot in Louis Trichardt.
LIMPOPO – A confrontation between police and a man unfolded in Louis Trichardt on Friday morning, leaving one suspect dead and an officer seriously injured. Witnesses described the scene as resembling a Hollywood action movie.
The incident occurred around 11:00 in Joubert Street.
According to Vhembe SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi, officers responded to complaints that the suspect had been harassing people in the area.
When approached, the man reportedly produced a knife and stabbed one officer. A second officer fired at the armed suspect, who sustained a fatal head injury.
The wounded officer was taken to hospital for treatment. “A warning shot was fired, but the suspect continued advancing. Another shot was fired, resulting in a head injury,” Dathi said.
Eyewitness Samuel Maedza, who was nearby on Krogh Street, described the scene.
“I thought an armed robbery was in progress. There were gunshots, and I saw a man stabbed a police officer. The officers returned fire, and a crowd gathered around the man lying face-down in a pool of blood. It was very scary,” he said.
A murder case has been opened, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has been notified. IPID confirmed it visited the scene to reconstruct events and said a post-mortem would be conducted at a date to be confirmed.
The directorate cautioned that its investigation is still in the early stages.
