Resident seen on video ‘roughed up’ by cop charged
A WOMAN who was allegedly manhandled by a police officer at Lentegeur police station in Mitchells Plain has been charged with crimen injuria and resisting arrest.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut responded to questions about a video of the incident which had been shared on Facebook, confirming the incident had taken place on Saturday.
The Cape Times had sent Traut the URL link to the video of the incident before querying whether police officers may behave in that way towards a female, a male or child; whether it would be investigated and if found guilty of misconduct whether the officer concerned be disciplined, and how.
In replying, Traut avoided answering the question directly, instead saying: “This (SAPS Western Cape Media Centre) office can confirm this incident that took place on Saturday January 14, 2017, at about 23 hours (11pm) the evening inside the Lentegeur SAPS (station).
“The 23-year-old female was arrested and will appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court for the charge of crimen injuria and resisting arrest towards a police officer.”
The video in question depicts a small group of people gathered in what appears to be the reception area of the charge office.
The woman, who seems to be part of the group, and the officer appear to remonstrate verbally with each other, as she resists his attempts to grapple and violently drag her into a nearby room.
All the while a man in the group tries to reason with the officer, who ignores him and continues to drag the woman down a long corridor before he disappears into a doorway.
As the manhandling officer and resisting woman disappear, a different officer is seen walking towards the group of people, who do not follow the woman and her manhandling officer.
The Cape Times has unsuccessfully tried to contact a person whose name is on the e-mail linked with the Facebook link. The video is in the following link: https://www.facebook.com/codlyn.joubert1/posts/10208531336981156?comment_id=10208539892475038