Pretoria - An alert off-duty cop saved the day when he stopped a minibus taxi driver from fleeing after he had been stopped by JMPD officers in Sandton.
JMPD officers used sirens to stop the taxi in Sandton’s Grayston Drive, to which the taxi driver quickly decided he would make a run for it and leave passengers stranded with the police officers.
Had it not been for an alert off-duty cop wearing a SAPS jacket, the taxi driver would have likely succeeded, but not before the officer got ahold of him before handing him over to the JMPD officers.
The JMPD confirmed the incident and said they were aware of the viral video.
The incident took place on Sunday, 8 May when JMPD officers were conducting a roadblock at William Nicol Drive and Sandton Drive in Sandton.
The officers stopped the minibus taxi driver who was transporting passengers, but he did not yield.
“The taxi driver stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the officer that had stopped him. The officer asked him for his driving licence. The driver went back to the taxi and instead of returning with a driving license he drove off.
“As he drove off a chase ensued with officers following in pursuit. Officers managed to block and stop the vehicle not far from the roadblock,“ explained JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla.
Fihla said the driver stepped out of the vehicle and ran in an attempt to flee, but he was quickly caught by an off-duty SAPS officer who jumped out of a white Mercedes-Benz and apprehended the suspect.
“It was later found out that the gentleman who caught the taxi driver is actually an SAPS member. The department salutes him for not neglecting his call of duty.”
Fihla said the driver and his vehicle were taken back to the roadblock and was issued a citation for driving without a driving licence.
“A discontinue notice was also issued for the unroadworthy vehicle and it was impounded for number plate investigation as the vehicle was displaying photocopied licence discs.”
WATCH: Man jumps out the car to catch a taxi driver who was trying to run away from JMPD Officer. pic.twitter.com/S4R6nQRxS8
— Vehicle Trackers (@VehicleTrackerz) May 10, 2022
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