A man claiming to be a police officer picked a fight with the wrong resident on 21 January, before fleeing the scene when real police arrived. Sundowner resident James Starkey was driving down 1st Avenue Linden at about 11am when a man in an unmarked vehicle stopped at the traffic light next to him.
The man, who was not wearing police uniform, produced a police badge and made Starkey pull over.
The man claimed that he was a police officer from Johannesburg Central.
He was armed with a pistol.
After looking at Starkey’s business card, the man said that Starkey could leave.
But because the man was driving an unmarked vehicle, Starkey asked him for his identification.
The man refused and tried to drive away.
Starkey pulled the man’s car keys out, believing him to be a fake police officer fishing for a bribe.
An argument ensued and the man started grabbing Starkey.
Starkey told the man that neither of them were going anywhere, and got into his vehicle. Then two men approached the scene. Starkey assumed that they were from a security company. He shouted to them and nearby onlookers to call the police. The man finally produced an ID card, with a name and photo of a police captain that appeared to be him.
Starkey still wanted to wait for the police. Then the man allegedly got into the car and assaulted Starkey. Punches were thrown by both men, but Starkey subdued the man in a lock. Then the man took out his pistol. Before he could use it, one of the apparent security guards twisted his arm and grabbed the gun. Starkey continued to punch the man until he gave up. The security guards took the man to his vehicle, and said that they were going to drive him to Linden Police Station.
Then a Linden Police van arrived and the apparent security guards left their vehicle to walk into a nearby petrol station. They left the man’s keys and gun in the vehicle, and having recovered, he sped away. Linden Police gave chase but could not catch him. A case of assault was opened at the Linden Police Station, said Linden Police Operations Commander Captain Alex Vermaak, but he could not yet confirm or deny whether the suspect was a police officer.
However, “A police officer must always present his ID on the spot,” he said. “If he claims to be police them he must present his ID, if not then he is not a cop. We have a unique ID with a hologram that that cannot be copied.” Linden Community Association founder Cindy Purchase was also on scene. She said that the incident brought the community together.
Another onlooker, who wished to remain anonymous for her and her business’ safety, said that she did not think the man was a real police officer. A resident took a video of the incident, which is available on the Randburg Sun website.
Details: Linden Police 011 888 9212;
Linden Community Association lindenjhb@gmail.com
