A 20-year-old armed robbery suspect had been arrested, after being severely assaulted by the members of the community who got hold of him first.
The Kagiso police were called to a scene in Extension 6 on 21 June at 9.30am, where they found the suspect.
“Police received a complaint from an anonymous caller about an armed individual who was being assaulted after attempting to rob a school pupil of a cellphone,” Kagiso Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Solomon Sibiya said.
It is believed the suspect entered a school-yard, grabbed one of the pupils, pointed at him with a firearm, and demanded his cellphone, all while other pupils played on the school grounds.
“Some of the pupils noticed the incident, screamed and chased after the suspect. Members of the community were alerted and joined in the chase. The suspect was eventually apprehended, severely assaulted and later handed over to the police.”
When the suspect’s firearm was recovered, the police discovered that it was a toy.
Police called an ambulance which took the suspect to hospital. He was admitted suffering from injuries to his body and head. The suspect subsequently passed away and was pronounced dead early on 22 June by hospital authorities.
A case of murder has been opened and Kagiso police have launched an investigation into the matter, but no arrests have been made yet.
The station commander at the Kagiso Police Station, Brigadier Sipho Ngubane has condemned the action by members of the community who resorted to violence after apprehending the suspect.
“Apprehending the suspect was a great move by the community, but assaulting him so badly has ruined the good they wanted to achieve. Some of them will now be arrested and charged with murder. We continue to warn people not to take the law into their own hands, as doing so may turn very ugly for them,” Ngubane said.
Read more:
Armed suspect runs, but you can’t hide
Mob justice served to armed suspect
Armed suspects on the loose, elderly couple shot at
