High speed chase leads to successful arrest
Two suspects were caught red-handed illegally dumping the contents of a large tipper truck and were arrested after a perilous chase.
A pair of suspects found themselves caught by the long arm of the law on January 11 after a perilous high-speed chase that ended with their truck being forced off the road and them in handcuffs.
Beagle Watch Crime Specialist Leon van Zyl was in the Weltevreden Park area surveying illegal recycling operations with Roodepoort Northsider journalist Johan Meyer when he received a frantic call over the radio from a colleague who had been trailing a truck suspected of illegal dumping in the area.
After it was positively established that the truck was indeed engaged in illegal dumping activities, security officers tried to pull the vehicle over. The driver of the truck refused to stop though, and a chase ensued from Ondekkers Road, turning right onto Gordon Road and eventually onto the N1 North.
Van Zyl joined the chase at the Gordon Road onramp to the N1 North and it immediately became apparent that the truck driver had no intention of stopping as he was swerving recklessly across the road, trying purposely to run not only the three Beagle Watch vehicles giving chase, but also other vehicles, off the road in an attempt to escape.
The three security vehicles surrounded the truck, trying desperately to keep it secure in one lane, but the truck driver swerved violently trying to bump them out of the way. At one point a security officer tried, through the open window and at high speed, to plead with the truck driver to pull over, but this only prompted more swerving and aggressive driving.
At one point, the convoy passed a large retail delivery truck, which the suspects tried to push off the road. One of the Beagle Watch officers realised the truck needed to be stopped urgently before it caused a serious accident. They renewed their efforts and managed to force the suspects off the road, and to a halt at the BP service station by the Beyers Naudè Drive offramp.
The suspects locked themselves in the truck and refused to get out. The officers, afraid that the suspects would attempt a desperate getaway, managed to reach into the cab, turn off the running engine, and retrieve the keys. They eventually persuaded the suspects to leave the vehicle and secured them for handover to the police.
According to Van Zyl, illegal dumping is rife within the Roodepoort area, and it is not only private people dumping small loads at a time, but companies with large trucks, either trying to save a buck by illegally dumping their waste, or making money from clients who are under the impression that they will legally dispose of rubble at a fee.
Watch this space for updates as this story develops.
