He said he was driving towards Kensington when the incident happened. “I was on my way to pick up my children from work. I stopped at the North Avenue and 5th Street intersection. I saw a man at my window. I did not see him coming. I looked at the passenger side because something did not seem right. There was another man on that side. Then I saw the third man,” said Clr Da Rocha.
He looked at his window again and the man standing there had a firearm pointed at him. “I drew my firearm and opened the window. I fired a shot on the ground and the men ran away. I chased after them,” he said.
Clr Da Rocha said Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers in the area saw the commotion and had their guns drawn as well. They and Clr Da Rocha tried to search for the men but they had escaped.
“Jeppe SAPS police officers in the area were also quick to respond. The suspects fled leaving behind their caps and jerseys. They also left behind the firearm they were using,” he said.
He said the firearm was inspected and it was established it was a toy gun. “It looked so real but it was a toy. It was silly of me to use my firearm. I reacted immediately. I stared death in the face and I am lucky that this time, it was a toy gun. If that was a real firearm, however, I do not know what would have happened. Maybe the suspects would have shot me,” he said.
