Traffic officer killed, body dragged 200m by taxi at roadblock

A taxi driver has been arrested for allegedly killing a traffic officer in a hit-and-run incident in Cape Town.

Deon Sampson, 46, died after being dragged nearly 200m by the vehicle.

He had stopped the taxi at a vehicle checkpoint on Spine Road on Friday night, said police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana.

The safety and security mayoral committee member for the City of Cape Town, JP Smith, said he was shocked and saddened.

“While checking the licence disc on a taxi waiting in the queue at approximately 21:45, the driver accelerated, ran him over and dragged him along the road for nearly 200m before the body was dislodged,” he added.

According to Smith, officers fired several shots at the vehicle before the driver could be apprehended close to Oscar Mpetha Drive.

The police gave chase and arrested a 38-year-old man.

“It cuts deep when we lose one of our own, but even more when the circumstances are as incomprehensible as what transpired last night,” Smith said.

The suspect will appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

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