Muldersdrift Cop Shooting Survivor Ready to Start Rehab: 'Our Very Own Captain Die Hard'
- Len Cloete, who was shot in the head by police at a lodge in Muldersdrift in November, is reportedly making a recovery
- Cloete sustained a gunshot wound to the head after a police officer pointed the gun at him and fired his service weapon
- Social media users had varying reactions to the latest update, mostly opting to take jibes at Cloete for his actions
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MULDERSDRIFT - The man who was shot in the head at a lodge in Muldersdrift during an altercation with police last month is on the way to making a full recovery after recently waking up from a hospital induced coma.
In a video that did the rounds on social media, Len Cloete was filmed taking a bullet to the head after a low-ranking police officer levelled his service pistol at him amid an argument in one of the rooms at the Misty Hills Country Hotel, situated on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Source: Getty Images
At the time, Briefly News reported that it was not immediately clear what had led to Cloete's erratic behaviour that eventually saw SAPS officers being called to the room where he was staying with his wife.
Luke Enslin, a private investigator from Mike Bolhuis Specialised Security Services, a company that operates privately, in an interview with TimesLIVE on Thursday, said Cloete, who had been in a medically-induced coma for about a month, has regained consciousness.
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Rehabilitation expected to start soon
Briefly News understands Cloete had to undergo an emergency procedure to remove the bullet. However, it was not immediately clear where the bullet had been lodged, but reports suggest a neurosurgeon operated on the brain and skull.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) confirmed in a statement last week that Cloete's condition had improved enough that he was able to breathe without assistance and even open his eyes, IOL reported.
“He is strong enough and will now start the process of rehabilitation. He has also been taken off sedation,” said Enslin.
Situation made light of online
Social media users who have kept a close eye on developments around the case had plenty to say, airing mixed reactions based on the video clip that showed a visibly aggressive Cloete reaching for an officer's gun moments before he was shot.
Briefly News takes a look at some of the reactions below.
@Andile Majola wrote:
"He doesn't look like Jack Sparrow for nothing."
@Calvin Mzoo Papo said:
"Our very own captain die hard."
@Siboniso Sokhaya added:
"I'm sure he learnt a lesson not to mess with the police."
@Xhoba Phumzi Mbiyo offered:
"To disarm a cop and then live to tell the story. He should consider himself lucky."
@Sbonelo Bigbrother JIngela mentioned:
"He can start his rehab in a prison cell this one."
Cloete's wife, Chantal, hires private investigator
Previously, Briefly News reported that Cloete's wife, Chantal, confirmed that she'd commissioned a private investigating firm to look into what transpired before her husband was shot.
The altercation between Cloete and the police was recorded with the use of a mobile phone, which was subsequently widely shared on social media. Leon is currently in hospital and is reportedly in a coma.
News24 reported that Cloete had grabbed the gun of a female police officer moments before he was shot by another officer. The manager of the lodge said the police were called in when Cloete refused to leave the premises after being disruptive. He was also offered a refund, which he refused.
Source: Briefly News
