Update: Journalist’s first hand account of arrest

Marthinus Pelser’s run from the police ended at around 2.15pm today.

At 1.46pm I received a call from a resident, Nicoli Roscher, saying she might have spotted the copper-colour Kia Picanto on Christiaan de Wet Road next to the Harley Davidson dealership. I asked her to go back to the vehicle, which she said was abandoned, in order to check the registration number. She called back saying the registration is indeed TXR 167 GP.

Meanwhile I jumped into a colleague’s vehicle and rushed to the scene. I called Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs and told her we found the vehicle and she said she would dispatch police vehicles immediately.

I arrived where the vehicle was parked. While taking photos a man in civilian clothes called me over. He identified himself as a policeman and said they were observing the area to see if Pelser would return. As I walked back to my vehicle Roscher called me again, this time from the Sasol Service Station up the road. She said she believed she had spotted Pelser. I ran back to the plain-clothes cops and told them I knew where the suspect was. They asked if we could use my vehicle but Roscher arrived and the four of us gave chase.

When we reached the top of the long driveway that connects Christiaan de Wet Road with the street above the service station Roscher pointed out Pelser standing at an electricity substation. The two cops jumped out and confronted him.

Out of the blue, more police vehicles arrived and after a short conversation between Pelser and the police, they cuffed him and loaded him in the back of a police van.