Video footage of the dramatic arrest of alleged underworld kingpin, Nafiz Modack, took centre stage at the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday as a former SAPS Task Force member claimed that Modack nearly killed him.
More than three years after the incident which saw several roads near Century City being shut down as heavily-armed officers swarmed Ratanga Road, the videos were shown to Judge Robert Henney and entered into evidence.
The former Warrant Officer, who asked not to be named, told the court that on 29 April 2021 he was part of a team of 16 officers sent to arrest Modack on attempted murder and extortion charges.
He said they were informed that Modack would leave his house and they were to intercept his silver bulletproof Toyota Hilux bakkie and block the road a few minutes later.
He explained that Modack’s vehicle had been followed by a white Mercedes Benz which stopped when the driver noticed the police officers, but he says Modack bolted.
As the Task Force tried to block the bakkie and the armed officer stood in front of his vehicle ordering Modack to stop, he was forced to jump out of the way to avoid being run over.
The court heard: “The Hilux drove straight towards me and I had to jump behind the door.”
The officer described how Modack slipped right through their two vehicles and cops chased him for several kilometres before eventually boxing him in near a construction site in Century City.
He says he shouted at Modack to get out of the car and fired two shots at the bakkie’s tyres to prevent him from driving away.
Defence Advocate Bash Sibda argued that there were no blue lights visible in the video and due to the uniform of the Task Force being camouflage and not the traditional blue worn by SAPS officers, his client believed he was coming under attack and that they were in fact there to kill him.
Sibda claimed Modack took evasive action fearing for his life and had no intention of trying to kill a cop.
The lawyer questioned the manner in which the dramatic arrest was carried out, as cops had been keeping an eye on Modack and could have pounced on him at his property.
@dailyvoice_news The Western Cape High Court entered video footage of the dramatic arrest of alleged underworld kingpin Nafiz Modack into evidence. More than three years after Modack initially managed to escape the clutches of the SAPS Special Task Force, a former officer has taken the stand to testify about how Modack allegedly tried to run him over with a bulletproof vehicle during the arrest near Century City in April 2021 as he faces the attempted murder of the officer. Modack has denied trying to kill the police officer, saying they were driving unmarked vehicles and he believed it was an attempt on his life. Video: Supplied #capetownsouthafrica #crime #crimestories ♬ original sound - Daily Voice
He insinuated that the public arrest was linked to the fact that police had intended on charging Modack with the murder of slain Anti-Gang Unit detective, Charl Kinnear.
Sibda also presented a video of Modack being rukked from his car and seemingly stomped on by cops, saying his client was assaulted, but Henney said while he agreed that Modack was manhandled, the evidence of an assault was inconclusive.