Hit-and-run driver arrested and charged with attempted murder

A man who was caught on camera driving into a pedestrian before speeding off in the Johannesburg city centre has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Tadewos Soamno‚ 41‚ appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday after the video was shared on social media showing a vehicle driving into a pedestrian who was crossing the street.

Soamno was arrested on Saturday.

A source who has spoke to TimesLIVE said Soammo knew the victim - both men share retail space selling shoes at a shop on the corner of Jeppe and Von Wielligh streets.

The horrific video of the incident was captured in the Johannesburg CBD and went viral on social media.

The video clip‚ a copy of which was posted on the Intelligence Bureau SA Facebook page‚ shows a man crossing a road and then seemingly hesitating before an oncoming white car.

The vehicle suddenly swerves to the right and strikes the man‚ drags him across two lanes and then speeds off without stopping after narrowly missing other pedestrians.

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Nana Radebe confirmed that a man had been hit by a car in a hit-and-run incident that had occurred at around 5.20 pm on Thursday afternoon near the intersection of Von Wielligh and Jeppe streets in downtown Johannesburg.

She said the man was taken to the Hillbrow Clinic where he was in a serious but stable condition.

Soamno will be back in court on September 26.