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McBride 'the aggressor'
10/11/2005 08:19 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Three men who claimed they were assaulted by metro police chief Robert McBride have accused the controversial cop of being the aggressor, the Star newspaper reported on Wednesday.
McBride, however, is sticking to his guns saying that on Saturday he witnessed the men skip three red traffic lights. He activated the police lights and siren on his unmarked vehicle, and tried to force their car off the road, but it failed to stop.
He claimed he was punched and kicked by the three men.
On Monday the three laid charges against McBride for pointing a firearm, discharging a weapon in public, assault and intimidation.
The newspaper reported that the men claimed McBride filed his charges against them - reckless and negligent driving, failure to stop at red traffic lights, failure to comply with the instruction of a metro police officer to stop, and assaulting a metro police officer - only on Tuesday, after he had realised they'd laid charges against him.
Big, burly" officer
The trio had not been arrested by last night, even though the metro police know their addresses and places of employment.
Mike Mabogwane, 26, who works for a vet, said he was driving an old Opel barely capable of speeding which was used to collect sick animals. McBride estimated the driver was travelling at between 110 and 120 km/h.
Mabogwane said the men drove back to a smallholding in Pomona where they live.
"As I drove up to the gate, I saw a white car in my rear-view mirror. There was a blue light flashing in the back of the car and I suddenly heard a siren."
He said he got a fright when he saw a "big, burly" officer get out of the car.
"He instructed me to lie face down on the ground and fired several shots," Mabogwane said.
Empty halfjack of brandy
He said his friends got out of the car and asked what was happening.
Mabogwane claimed McBride then fired more shots.
He said they were scared because McBride was unsteady on his feet and was pointing a gun at them. He also claimed that McBride allegedly struck one of his friends on the head with the butt of his firearm and then assaulted the other.
Mabogwane said he saw McBride throw an empty halfjack of Klipdrift brandy out of his car window, an accusation that McBride dismissed as "nonsense".
The newspaper reported that the Ekurhuleni police chief on Tuesday maintained that when he got out of the car at the gate, he was attacked by the three men, and has bruises and swelling to show for it.
He admitted that he struck more than one of his attackers on the head with the butt of his firearm.
He said he was forced to retaliate in this way because one of the men was trying to grab his firearm.
- SAPA
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