On New Year’s Eve, a 51-year-old man was walking along Crawshaw road in Ladysmith when he was attacked. He was pinned to the ground by three suspects. The suspects assaulted the helpless victim using their clasped fists and were kicking him repeatedly. They also used rocks to assault him and robbed him of his cell phones and cash. Two police officers from the Ladysmith SAPS were on duty that night. They were patrolling the area when they came across the assault taking place. The suspects ran as soon as they saw the police vehicle approaching. The officers sprang into action immediately pursuing the fleeing suspects. One of the suspects aged 20 was arrested a short distance away. He did not have any of the stolen property in his possession.
The other two suspects managed to elude the officers. Medical treatment was arranged for the victim who had sustained severe injuries from the assault. Once the victim was taken by an ambulance the officers began making their way to the police station to finalize paperwork on the incident. Along the way they spotted another 18-year-old suspect at a filling station. He was swiftly arrested. The victims cell phones and cash was recovered in his possession. Both the suspects appeared in the Ladysmith Magistrates’ Court on 2 January 2018 on charges of charges of attempted murder as well as robbery.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Bheki Langa praised the members for the swift arrest of the suspects and the recovered of the stolen items.