A suspected cable thief was shot in the arm by a security officer after he ignored repeated commands to drop his knife.
The incident took place near the railway lines on the corner of Hospital Road and Paul Kruger Highway last Tuesday afternoon.
Springs police spokesperson Capt Johannes Ramphora said the complainant, who is the supervisor at a local security company, told police he was on duty in Welgedacht when he received a call from his colleagues telling him men were digging up cables along the railway.
He rushed to the scene and when he arrived saw his colleagues had apprehended six men for trying to steal cables.
When one of the men saw the complainant, he ran and the complainant gave chase. The man struggled to keep up his pace and pulled out a knife and charged towards the complainant.
The complainant tried to avoid the man but he persisted and came closer to him. It was at this point the complainant pulled out his service firearm and fired two shots towards the man, who was persistent until the complainant shot him in the upper part of his right arm.
It was only after he was shot that the man dropped his knife. Police and an ambulance were later called to the scene.
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