A man who attempted to flee after being arrested for drunk driving in KwaZulu-Natal was swiftly recaptured by provincial traffic authorities, and the dramatic moment was caught on video.
In a clip shared by the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport, the man can be seen trying to escape from Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officials and Durban metro police after being processed at a roadblock.
According to the department, the suspect had already been arrested, handcuffed and processed.
“This guy was arrested, handcuffed and processed. Handcuffs were removed while he was being registered and all other admin procedures performed. He was also allowed to call a few people to get keys for his car before being taken to the cells,” the department said.
After almost an hour he ran away and was caught as he was trying to start his car, it said.
“As they were trying to get him out of his car, he tried to reach for something. Law enforcement officers had no choice but to use force to restrain and get him out of his car very quickly. After having pulled him out of his car, he resisted. He can be seen here screaming when they were trying to subdue him and started running away. Fortunately, they nabbed him,” the department said.
The incident formed part of the #NenzaniLaEzweni festive season safety operation which MEC for transport and human settlements Siboniso Duma said is aimed at intensifying the province’s efforts to curb reckless and negligent driving.
“We are restoring law and order across all corners of the province. We have introduced the average-speed-over-distance system on various road networks and strategically placed two cameras, one at the beginning and one at the end of a designated stretch,” said Duma.
He explained that the cameras capture a vehicle at both points enabling the system to calculate the travel time and identify motorists who exceed the average speed limit.
The department said 23 motorists were arrested for drunk driving on Sunday night alone with many expected to appear in court on Monday and Tuesday.
Commending the joint enforcement effort, Duma said: “The no-nonsense RTI team working with Durban metro police and SAPS did exceedingly well by cleaning up that part of the province. We want to protect road users from reckless and irresponsible drivers.”
The province also recorded arrests for speeding.
On Friday, a farmer was detained after being caught travelling at 199km/h in a 120km/h zone.
Three more motorists were arrested the same night:
- A doctor who drove 181km/h in a Ford Ranger Raptor,
- An attorney clocked at 175km/h in a VW Golf, and
- A regional manager for a major supermarket chain driving 170km/h.
Duma warned that during the festive season, authorities will adopt a zero-tolerance approach.
TimesLIVE
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