A woman seen standing in the middle of the N1 South after her vehicle's tyres were spiked. Picture: Twitter screenshot/@RekordNewspaper
Disturbing dash cam footage of a recent spiking incident on the N1 South in Tshwane has emerged on social media.
It appears spiking incidents are no longer only occurring at night or on quiet roads.
This incident took place late on Sunday morning, on a busy road, in full view of other motorists.
The footage, posted by Caxton publication Pretoria Rekord on Thursday, shows a robbery suspect running from the spiked SUV parked in the emergency lane of the highway into nearby bushes. A truck driving past can be heard hooting at the suspect as he flees the scene.
ALSO READ: Road spiking incidents on the rise – here are the hotspots
A panicked woman can then be seen standing barefoot in the middle lane of the highway, clutching her handbag. She can be seen pointing towards her vehicle, gesturing that she needed help.
When Rekord spoke to the woman who uploaded the dash cam footage, Christine Kraamwinkel, she said her and a friend were driving on the highway when they saw the woman. She had pulled over because of a flat tyre, but fled her vehicle after a man tried to attack her with a knife.
The suspect did not take any possessions, and a hammer and spiking device were later found in nearby veld by police.
If involved in a situation where a motorist’s vehicle is spiked, they are urged not to stop, but to travel to the nearest petrol or police station. It is often when people stop to inspect the damage to their vehicles that enterprising thieves pounce, rob and harm the occupants.
Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Masondo previously said police had “stabilised” spiking incidents in Gauteng, which have become a serious concern in recent months, especially on the N4 highway and along the R566.
“If motorists suspect that their tyre punctures are as a result of having driven over spikes, they must immediately alert the police by calling the Saps emergency number 10111, scanning their immediate environment and by staying vigilant while changing their tyre but [if] they feel unsafe then they must try to drive to the nearest filling station or police station.”
In a previous incident, a road spiking robber was shot dead after he and two other armed men allegedly tried to attack a man in Tshwane.
It is alleged the would-be road spiking victim, who happened to be an off-duty police sergeant attached to the Lanseria Airport ORS unit, drew his service pistol after the suspects opened fire.
He shot and killed one suspect, while two others fled on foot.
Read Pretoria Rekord‘s article, written by Keitumetse Maako, here.
Compiled by Nica Richards.
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