EMPD Officer bites motorist
She said it would be my word against hers before she clamped down on my arm and bit me.
A Sunnyrock resident has vowed to take action against a female officer from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) after she bit him.
The incident took place after Mr Paolo De Giovanni was stopped at the intersection of First Avenue and Aitken Road on Thursday, May 29.
“I know the EMPD always stand there, so I made a point of coming to a complete stop at the intersection,” said Mr De Giovanni.
According to him, an armoured cash-in-transit vehicle ahead of him did not stop at the intersection.
“The van shot through the intersection. When I eventually pulled off and rounded the corner, I saw three officers. One of them signalled for me to pull off the road,” said Mr De Giovanni.
“I just started laughing. I asked her why she had not stopped the armoured vehicle. The officer replied that she did not know if I was going to hijack the armoured vehicle or not, once it had been stopped,” he said.
Mr De Giovannit then handed the officer his driver’s licence.
“We joked a little and then she began to write out a fine,” he said.
When he asked the officer what the fine was for, she responded that he had not stopped at the intersection.
“I told her that I did stop and that she was falsely accusing me. The fine was unjustified, so I walked up to the officer and tried to take my licence back,” said Mr De Giovanni.
He added that the officer then swore at him and said she would teach him a lesson.
“When the passenger in my vehicle tried to calm the situation down, he was sworn at and told to shut up as he was only the passenger,” he said.
Mr De Giovanni again tried to take his licence back.
“She said it would be my word against hers before she clamped down on my arm and bit me. She then dug her nails into my forearm,” he said.
Mr De Giovanni realised the situation had become volatile and decided to step away and let the officer finish writing the fine.
“She did not even have to fill out what the offence was. That was already written out before she pulled me off the road. All she had to do was fill in my details,” he said.
Mr De Giovanni then drove to the Edenvale Police Station to report the incident but was turned away.
“Apparently I could not lay a charge of assault against the officer in Edenvale. I was told I must drive to Germiston to open a case,” he said.
“Her attitude and actions were not befitting a police officer,” said Mr De Giovanni.
“If I am wrong, I will pay my fines. This time I was not wrong,” he said.
The acting spokesperson for the Edenvale SAPS, Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Roberts, encouraged Mr De Giovanni to open a case.
“We need to find out why he was turned away from the Edenvale Police Station on the day, so that we can address this matter too,” he said.
The spokesperson for the EMPD, Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago, advised that Mr De Giovanni should lodge a complaint with the Senior Public Prosecutor (SPP).
“The SPP has the power to reduce, cancel or let the fine stand, depending on the credibility of the complainant’s case,” he said.
He added that the EMPD’s Integrity and Standards Unit will in the meantime request a copy of the docket.
“An interview with the alleged culprit will be held. The complainant will also be interviewed and a written statement taken to facilitate an investigation of the matter,” said Supt Kgasago.
