Policeman brandishing gun in video interdicted
The police officer, who was captured in a video brandishing a gun and allegedly harassing a motorist, has been interdicted to allow for full investigations into the incident.
A news brief from the police said their attention had been drawn to a video in which a person wielding a pistol was captured engaged in an argument and a subsequent fight with another person.
It said the police immediately commenced investigation into the incident, resulting in the arrest of the person and subsequent retrieval of the weapon.
The brief said preliminary findings revealed that the person who was seen wielding the weapon was a police sergeant stationed at the Central Regional Police Command.
It said investigation further indicated that the policeman lodged a complaint of assault against his assailants, alleging that he was attacked by a group of persons, one of whom was wielding a cutlass.
The brief said both parties were assisting police investigations.
It said the Police Professional Standards Bureau had also commenced investigation into the conduct of the police officer, adding that, both the criminal investigation and the professional standards investigation would run concurrently.
The brief assured the public that justice would be served.
Meanwhile the policeman involved in the incident has refuted allegations that he was attacking and harassing a motorist.
In a viral audio, the man explained that he pulled out his gun in self defence to an attack by the motorist.
He said the person attacked him with a cutlass from behind and ended up causing injury to his back.
The officer said he did not know who his attackers were, but they crossed him whilst driving on the highway and when he alighted, the driver accused him of crossing him earlier on, after which he apologised.
However, he said, to his surprise, the driver began insulting him.
“I began to wonder why he was insulting me. If I had committed a traffic offence, the best thing was to report me to the authorities. The fact that I am a Policeman doesn’t mean that I am above the law.”
“After we talked, I was going to sit inside my car but the driver made a call and from nowhere, another man came driving in a car with a DV number plate. The man came out from the car with a cutlass and slashed my back.”
“As an officer or civilian under attack, what would have been your action when you realised that your life was in immediate danger? I pulled out my side arms only in self-defense.”
“The man who attacked me never knew I was an officer so after slashing my back with the cutlass, he proceeded toward me to cause more harm. However, when I took out my gun, the attacker noticed that if he proceeds any further, he will not have things easy with me, so he run away,” he said.
He said the attacker went ahead to put the cutlass in his booth, as he tried everything possible to place him under arrest.
The officer said as at the time he tried arresting his attackers, he placed a call to his colleagues for assistance and continued with efforts to keep the attackers down for assistance to arrive.
He said he had a picture of his injured back and videos of the incident to share as proof of his innocence.
Source: GNA