KEMPTON PARK – A traumitised Bonaero Park mother and daughter, who were both allegedly assaulted by Ekurhuleni metro police officers, plan to lay charges against these officers, the Kempton Express reported.
Jeanette Preis senior and junior both suffered under the hands of especially a female officer after Preis jnr and her friend, Angie Botes, were stopped for speeding on Monday morning.
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They will be joined by Happy Meyer, a motorist who passed the alleged roadside altercation and filmed it. He was arrested for interference.
Botes was pulled over for doing 112km/h in an 80km/h zone on Great North Road.
The two 20-year-old friends were allegedly pushed around, hit and a gun was cocked and pointed in Preis junior’s face. They were kept in a police holding cell at Kempton Park Police Station until 7pm on Monday evening and appeared in Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning on charges of assault, Crimen Injuria, speeding and reckless driving.
The charges of reckless driving, assault on an EMPD officer, interference and Crimen Injuria were thrown out by the state.
Very traumatised and left with a few bruises, Botes spoke to EXPRESS on Tuesday.
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“We were on our way to get some breakfast just after 10am when we were pulled over speeding. When the metro police officer asked me to step out of the car and have a look at the speed on the camera, I remembered if the camera was not level, it was not accurate.
“I told the officer this upon which she said I knew too much and should stand at the car. We waited for a long while and decided that nothing was going to happen soon and slowly drove off. A metro police car pulled us over next to Avion Park,” Botes said.
The female officer got out of her car and slapped me through the face while I was still in the car,” said Botes.
Preis jnr continued: “I got out and told the officer she could not slap my friend, as it was assault. That was when she called the rest of her friends and they started pushing me around. When I pushed back, she took out her gun, cocked it and said she would shoot me in the face,” said Preis jnr.
Also Read: EMPD officer holds gun against woman's head
Preis snr said her daughter called her hysterically and said she was in a police van with her friend and they held a gun to her head, hit her and threw her and her friend into the van. “She told me to wait for her at Kempton Park Police Station. It took me 10 minutes to get there from Bonaero Park. It took them an hour to get to the police station,” said an upset Preiss snr.
EXPRESS received a call to quickly come to the police station. Reporter Alicia Loots was on the scene when the two girls arrived with five EMPD officers shoving them into the police station.
In front of Loots, Preis snr asked the female officer, who also cocked the gun in her daughter’s face, why they were arrested. A fight broke out and the female officer hit Preis snr with her arm on the neck. Before Loots could take photographs, her camera was confiscated and locked away. It was later given back.
“I just thank God that my daughter and her friend are still alive, because any police officer with such a bad attitude and temper should not be operating a firearm at all,” said Preis snr.
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Preis jnr also told EXPRESS that racist and vulgar comments were made towards them when they were hand cuffed in the police van.
“Rest assured, we will not leave this case cold, there will be legal action taken against these policemen and women,” an angry Preis snr said.
Express is waiting for comment from Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago, metro police spokesman, and Capt Jethro Mtshali, Kempton park SAPS spokesman.
