‘They pointed an R5 rifle at me, I thought I was being hijacked’: blue-light victim speaks out

The VW Polo driver who was seen being dragged out of a vehicle and viciously assaulted by members of the police’s VIP unit thought he was being hijacked.

L’vaughn Fisher, a 25-year old infantryman stationed in Pretoria, told TimesLIVE Premium he was on his way home on the N1 when the assault took place.

“It was myself, two male friends and a female friend. We live near Kgosi Mampuru prison and were on our way there. I was not driving in the right-hand lane. In that part of the highway there were more than three lanes, and I was definitely not in the right-hand one.”

That is the direction, says Fisher, from which danger came initially.

“A car moved in on my right and a man pointed a R5 rifle at me. I was instantly fearful. I had not heard sirens and their blue lights were not on. I thought I was being hijacked,” Fisher told TimesLIVE Premium on Wednesday evening.

He tried to get away.

“I changed lanes, but they had more than one vehicle and boxed me in.”

Fisher and his friends, also members of the SANDF but still trainees, came to a stop on the left side of the highway.

“There was a car on our right and one in front. We were boxed in and had nowhere to run.” 

“One of the men used the butt of his R5 rifle to try and break my window on the driver’s side. When he failed, he moved to the back and succeeded there. After he broke the window, I am unsure if I was still sitting or being dragged out. The man hit me a terrible blow against my head and I was knocked out.”

Parts of the attack were captured on video by another motorist. The clip showed how the black BMWs, which have since been established to belong to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s protection squad, had blocked the blue VW Polo, while its occupants, most of whom were gun-wielding were out of the car and delivering punches and kicks to the Polo occupants. The clip, which has since gone viral, shows how Fisher was left passed out on the side of the road. 

Fisher said he was traumatised.

“I am scared and everybody now knows what my car looks like. What if I go somewhere and these men or their colleagues see me?” he said.

Fisher went to see a doctor after the incident.

“Thankfully I have no serious injuries. My jaw was swollen, but the swelling has gone down a lot. It still hurts when I chew or talk. I have scratches, cuts and bruises all over my head, on the back, behind my right ear,” Fisher said.

It is understood that four SAPS officers have received letters of suspension, while the matter is being investigated by the independent police investigative unit. 

“They are only being charged with assault. What they did to us cannot be called assault. It is attempted murder,” Fisher said.

The Bloemfontein-born infantryman told TimesLIVE Premium he will be following the civil route.

“I’m not going to let this go. I am going to see a lawyer. Ian Cameron from Action Society is assisting me on the long road ahead.”