Africa-Press – Eswatini. Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO) Superintendent, Phindile Vilakati, has implored motorists to cooperate with the police by stopping when ordered to do so by law enforcement agencies to avoid being shot at.
Vilakati urged motorists to comply with the police in roadblocks, particularly during the night.
The warning comes after a 70- year-old man of Mpolonjeni had his car shot at three times by the police after he did not stop despite being ordered to do so by officers who had manned a roadblock at Ezulwini.
The incident happened around midnight.
According to the man, who requested that his identity be withheld as he feared being attacked, he was driving from the Happy Valley Hotel and Casino direction, headed towards Mbabane when he experienced the unfortunate incident.
He said when he was next to Mahlalekhukhwini House, a Honda fit sedan overtook him and almost came to an immediate stop just in front of him.
As the Honda Fit came to a stop, he said a man who was armed with a gun alighted and approached his car, which was driving at a very slow pace.
He alleged that the man had not signalled for him to stop, hence he kept on driving and while at it, he heard three gunshots, which were fired towards his car.
Upon realising that he was under attack, he sped off as he did not know who the men were or what they wanted.
He further stated that during the shooting, one of the bullets hits one of his tyres and as a result, his car developed a puncture but he continued to drive towards Corner Plaza as he was scared.
He said he came across a group of police officers at Corner Plaza, who signalled to him to stop, which he did as he could identify them through their uniforms.
He said before he could relate what had happened, the officers berated and accused him of running away from the police who as a result were forced to shoot at him.
He claimed that the police said they were forced to shoot because he drove away at high speed whereas they had ordered him to stop.
Only then was he able to determine that the man who shot at him was a police officer.
He said the police conducted an extensive search of his car while also stating that he was lucky to be alive after running away from the officers who shot at his car.
“They said if they were the ones I tried to run away from, they would have shot me in the head,” alleged the man.
He refuted claims that the police signalled him to stop before opening fire and further stated that the public was no longer safe, especially at night.
The PICO confirmed that they received a report of a man who reported that his car was shot at by the police officers.
However, according to Vilakati, the reason the police shot at the man’s car was because he did not comply with the directive to stop when ordered to do so.
She said as a result, the police in an effort to force him to stop, shot at the tyres of his vehicle.
Vilakati then urged members of the public to cooperate with the police by stopping their vehicles whenever they were ordered to do so in order to avoid being shot.
She said following the surge in the rate of crime, police had been deployed all over the country to carry out certain operations meant to reduce crime, which had become rampant.
She emphasised that police would continue staging roadblocks during the night countrywide and therefore urged members of the public to work with the police.
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