Four Hanover Park residents accused of attacking Law Enforcement officers during an arrest have been granted R800 bail each by the Athlone Magistrate’s Court.
Tauriq Cupido, Shakeel Kippie, Erefaan Kippie along with ouma Suad Kippie made their first appearance on public violence charges on Monday after the vicious attack which saw an officer being hit in the face with a brick.
The shocking incident which was caught on camera sparked a response from Police Minister Senzo Mchunu who condemned the attack.
Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, explained that officers were reacting to a ShotSpotter alert in Hanover Park on Friday morning.
On arrival, officers spotted a gunman who pointed his gun at the officers, who in return shot and injured him.
But while waiting for paramedics to arrive to treat the gunman, bystanders attacked the officers, while the gun was also taken.
Following tip-offs from the community, the four suspects were arrested.
The Law Enforcement officer who sustained serious injuries after being hit with a brick is still in hospital.
During court proceedings, the State explained that the investigation revealed that someone on a bicycle took the gun from the scene.
It was also revealed that the gunman will now face attempted murder charges when he is discharged from hospital.
The State opposed bail and revealed that Cupido is accused of trying to snatch an officer’s firearm in the scuffle.
Defence lawyer, Denzil Langeveldt, told the court that the accused had no pending matters against them and argued that bail could have been set at the police station instead of the court. He proposed R500 bail for their release.
Magistrate Keith le Keur agreed and said as there was no indication that their addresses had not been verified, but set bail at R800 each.
The case was postponed to 4 September for further investigations.
Smith said he was disappointed at the low bail amount but warns more arrests are imminent.
He adds: “The bail is very low when you consider the nature of the offence. Here you have people blocking policing officials who are trying to safeguard the community against gunmen.
“The next time there is a shooting we will see the officers now waiting for reinforcements instead of rushing in,” he warned.
“We can see by the extent of the tip-offs provided by the Hanover Park community that the community is not happy to have them back in their midst.
“The investigation is continuing and we are expecting more arrests.”
monique.duval@inl.co.za