Members of the EMPD have opened a case of crimen injuria against a Springs man who allegedly racially abused them during an arrest on Wednesday.
In a video that went viral on social media on Wednesday, a group of EMPD officers can be seen trying to arrest a suspect while they exchanged words with other people on the scene.
It is alleged that upon arrival at the scene, the officers, who were reacting to a traffic violation call, were met with verbal abuse which later escalated to physical abuse.
“It all started when two officers responded to the complaint. Upon arrival, they were called all sorts of defamatory names, including the K-word.
“The officers tried to explain that they were only there to do their job, but all this fell on deaf ears as the suspect became aggressive and threatened to ‘bliksem’ them,” explained a visibly upset MMC for Community Safety Clr Frans Mmoko.
One of the officers was shoved to the ground and they called for backup.
More officers arrived and the abuse continued, resulting in another officer being assaulted and taken to the Parkland Hospital for treatment for abrasions to the tongue.
It took more than 10 officers to subdue the suspect who was resisting arrest and allegedly assaulting officers.
“This is unacceptable. Officers are here to provide policing and ensure peace and safety prevail. “We are here to ensure the rule of the law is enforced at all times. We need the community to assist us fight such nonsensical acts against law enforcement officers.
“These are men and women who sacrifice the comfort of their homes to ensure we all live in a society we can all be proud of,” Mmoko appealed.
“Despite this incident, we are quite confident that the rule of law shall prevail and those behind the attacks on law officers are dealt with decisively.
“We have trust in the country’s justice system and we are optimistic that those perpetuating such senseless attacks face the full might of the law,” said Mmoko.
The officers have laid various charges against the 40-year-old suspect, including crime injuria, assault, intimidation, resisting arrest and interfering with police work.
When The Advertiser requested to speak to the victim, they declined to do so.
