Police officer injured, four arrested during trespassing clash
The brawl resulted in the injury of a police officer and arrests.
Rubber bullets and stones met in the air as law enforcement clashed with day labourers near the Builders Warehouse Strubens Valley, at the corner of Hendrik Potgieter and Jim Fouché Roads on 21 November.
Public Order police, members from the Honeydew police station and Johannesburg Metro Police were responding to a warning to evict the workmen who advertise for jobs at the entrance of the warehouse premises on a regular basis when the clash ensued.
“The company had a problem with these people who are painters. They were warned to please get off the private property and stand away from the premises because of safety concerns and traffic control.
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There was a notice board saying ‘Right of Admission Reserved – private property’ which they ignored,” said Captain Balan Muthan, the Honeydew Police spokesperson.
He added that JMPD came out to discuss the matter with the workseekers, but they attacked the officers.
He confirmed that rubber bullets were fired to disperse the crowd and protect the safety of motorists, as the men were hurling bricks during the clash. The brawl resulted in the injury of a police officer and several arrests.
“Builders Warehouse opened a case of trespassing. We went to the area after arranging for the Public Order police and a number of security companies to come with us. When we stopped here, a police officer was attacked and hit in the face with a brick. At that point, the crowd began to get out of hand, but the police and security companies tried to contain them as they ran in front of vehicles and started throwing bricks,” Muthan explained.
He mentioned that four suspects were subsequently arrested and will be charged with trespassing.
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A full report will be published in next week’s edition, covering both sides of the story.
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