‘Beaten bloody’ at Durban July
A FUN night out at the recent Vodacom Durban July turned violent after a Bonela man claimed security guards assaulted him.
Shallen Singh, 29, said a patron attempted to pickpocket his friend’s cellphone and he ended up being beaten bloody.
He subsequently shared photographs of his injuries on Facebook.
“I accompanied my friends to the races. We had a few drinks and were enjoying the day’s activities. At around 7pm, a friend stood in the line to take a bet. He realised the person standing behind him had tried to steal his cellphone from his pants pocket and punched him,” claimed Singh.
He said the security guards then attacked his friend. When the man’s wife tried to intervene, Singh claimed she was placed in a choke hold.
“I calmly told them to forget about it, and that we were only there to have a good time. After a few minutes, they let them go.”
Later that night, while with another friend, Singh claimed the same security staff had approached and assaulted him.
“There were so many of them. All I could do was break free and run for help. But they gave chase, caught me near an entrance gate and assaulted me.
“I kept telling them I did not do anything wrong but they continued to hit me in the face. I could taste the blood in my mouth. I tried to scream for help but nobody assisted.”
Singh said his friend drove him to the Berea police station.
“I could barely see as my left eye was swollen and I struggled to tell the policeman what happened. An ambulance arrived and I was taken to the hospital.
“I was in a terrible condition. I had to have stitches to my eyebrow, which was cut open, and my nose was broken.”
He said he notified Gold Circle via Facebook and a person who claimed to be the safety and security head contacted him.
“He advised me to come to the racecourse to identify the guards but I have not done so. I am afraid it was a set up, so I’ve left the investigation to the police.”
Gold Circle chief executive Michel Nairac said the relevant stakeholders were investigating the incident. “There is a security cluster, which is made up of police officers and other security officials, that deal with such complaints. We have assisted with what was requested, including video footage.”
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane, said a case of assault is being investigated by Berea SAPS.