Pretoria man in coma after being shot in head by police

A Pretoria man is in a coma in hospital after being shot in the head by police during an altercation in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Len Cloete, who is believed to be an owner of a gym in Rietvleirand, east of Pretoria, was injured during an altercation with police at a Muldersdrift Misty Hills lodge.

In a video doing the rounds on social media, a man who looks like Cloete can be seen drawing a gun and cocking it during what seemed like a heated argument with police officers.

A female police officer can be heard saying: “now you are playing dangerous” as she and other officers draw their guns.

Moments later, Cloete grabs the female police officer’s gun, after which another officer shoots in the head causing him to fall on the ground.

VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

According to police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello, police were responding to a complaint that Cloete was causing chaos at the guest house by fighting with staff members.

“(Cloete) allegedly insulted the police and assaulted two of them with his fists before drawing his firearm which could not cock,” she said.

“He then forcefully grabbed the firearm from the officer’s holster. He was shot by another officer before he could use the firearm he grabbed.”

According to the Independent police investigative directorate (Ipid), the manager of the lodge requested Cloete to leave and the lodge would refund him, but he refused.

“The security and manager followed him to his room and requested him to leave, then he became more aggressive,” said Ipid’s Graca Langa.

“Police officers were called to come and assist. When the police arrived, he started fighting with the officers. He took out a firearm out of the bed drawer and cocked it and one bullet fell out, and it is alleged he then disarmed a police officer of his firearm.”

Langa said Cloete was now in possession of two firearms when an officer took out his service pistol and shot him in the head.

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Len Cloete. Photo: Facebook

Pretoria’s well-known private investigator, Mike Bolhuis, said his team of investigators was looking into the case to see whether police acted within the confines of the law. He said the main investigation would focus on the protocols followed during the shooting.

“There is a protocol that should be followed by police on taking out a weapon and firing a weapon. One, stern warnings are issued; two, the weapon is taken out; three, the weapon is pointed at the suspect; four, a warning shot is fired into the ground; five, a shot in the leg,” he said.

“Only if there is imminent life danger you can shoot someone but not to kill.”

Bolhuis went on to explain that imminent danger would be absolute life-threatening danger where a person has a weapon and the person can take the life of someone near to you or even your life.

His lead investigator in the case, Cecil Benade, said the case was at a sensitive stage and as a result, some information would not yet be shared.

Benade told Rekord that Cloete was with his partner and another couple when the incident happened.

“It appears that the couple’s rooms were not ready when they arrived, so they went to a place where they had supper and later returned,” he said.

“When they returned, I think the tension was a bit high and there was an argument between the staff at the guest house and the couples.”

After that, both the guest house and the couples called the police.

Cloete is currently at a private hospital in Krugersdorp.

Police have opened a case of robbery, assault and malicious damage to property against Cloete.

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