Shallcross shooting: Protesters spend night in cells with alleged hijacker
Twenty Chatsworth residents spent the night under the same roof as a man who is accused of being involved in the killing of nine-year-old Sadia Sukhraj.
Police spokeswoman Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed that officers had arrested 20 people‚ who were among hundreds who had gathered outside the Chatsworth police station on Monday night.
Video footage of the incident showed protesters hurling stones at police‚ the officers responding with rubber bullets‚ teargas and stun grenades to disperse the group.
Sources tell us that police are trying to disperse the crowd at the Chatsworth police station - a protest linked to the murder of Sadia Sukhraj #ShallcrossShooting @TimesLIVE @matthewsavides pic.twitter.com/cqHaAfMVJf
— Jeff Wicks (@wicks_jeff) May 28, 2018
Chatsworth residents say they will not leave the police station until they get answers surrounding the killing of the 9-year-old girl. They demand an end to crime in the community @Newsbreak_Lotus @Lotusfm #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/5fCgNBMJkc
— Taliesha Naidoo (@Taliesha_Naidoo) May 28, 2018
Tense scenes outside the Chatsworth SAPS station earlier tonight, just before police dispersed the crowd with teargas and stun grenades. Video: Supplied #ChatsworthProtest pic.twitter.com/dlrp7muhr2
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) May 28, 2018
The protesters were detained along with a 39-year-old accused of playing a role in the hijacking of Shailendra Sukhraj‚ the slain girl's father. The nine-year-old was in the back seat of the car.
One of the alleged accomplices was killed and another escaped after they crashed the stolen car into a truck‚ and finally came to rest in a neighbourhood park.
The injured girl‚ found lying in the car‚ is understood to have been rushed to the hospital where she later died. Her funeral and burial will take place on Tuesday.
Gwala said that those detained for public violence‚ as well the alleged hijacker‚ would likely appear in court on Wednesday.