High Court Throws Out Case Against Metro Cops Who Shot At Fleeing Motorist 15 Times, Dividing Mzansi

• A man who tried to evade cops and ended up getting shot at 15 times tried to sue the metro police for R2 million
• The Pretoria High Court saw through the man's claim and ruled that the shooting was justified throwing out the case
• While some South Africans applauded the court others claimed the ruling sent the wrong message

PRETORIA - The Pretoria High Court has ruled that the Metro police officers who shot at a fleeing drunk driver 15 times were justified in their action. The ruling means that the R2 million damages claim by the drunk driver has been dismissed.

Some South Africans agree with the court ruling that the shooting was justified, while others claim the judgement sends the wrong message.

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Here are what citizens are saying:

Kevin Daniel commented:

"In fact, they should do it more often."

Verdon Van Der Merwe suggested:

"They need more training I would've used most two shots."

Siviwe Tshemese asked:

"Is that justice though? Were the police right in shooting? Yes, he was drunk but shooting to kill an unarmed drunken driver seems excessive."

Khibzen Motsoeneng pondered:

"Shooting a drunken man 15 times justifiable! Mmmh."

Jean T H Berdou added:

"What if one of the bullets had hit a child or bystander? This sends the wrong message to police regarding the use of firearms."

Papa K Binang pointed out:

"Basically emptied the whole magazine on the guy's car."

Osama Bin Pascal claimed:

"In this case, I will shoot back at Metro."

The drunk driver tells the court what led to the shooting

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According to the drunk driver, Fhatuwani Ramahala, the incident occurred in August 2017 when he received an urgent call.

Ramahala told the court that he was asleep at his girlfriend's apartment in Pretoria when his other girlfriend called asking Ramahala to pick her up at Menlyn Shopping Centre, IOL reported.

After refusing a couple of times Ramahala eventually relented and went to pick the woman up at around midnight. The night ended with a high-speed car chase with metro police which is when the shooting occurred.

Ramahala tried to justify his action by claiming that he was afraid he was being hijacked and that's why he didn't pull over for police, TimesLIVE reported.

The drunk driver was eventually arrested and detained for reckless and drunk driving. However, when all was said and done, Ramahala missed a summons seeking R2 million compensation for shock, pain, suffering and assault or harassment.

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Ramahala failed to convince the court that he deserved compensation and the case was dismissed with cost on 12 December.

Man arrested for speeding off without paying for R500 fuel to appear before Durban Magistrate’s Court

Earlier, Briefly News reported that a Durban man caught trying to make off with R500 worth of petrol will appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on a theft charge.

The fuel theft occurred on Sunday, 18 December, at around 4pm when an armed response officer from Marshall Security witnessed a commotion while parked at a petrol station north of Durban.

The officer saw a gold Toyota Avanza speeding away from the fuel station and desperate petrol attendants chasing after the car. The attendants told the officer that the man in the Avanza sped off without paying for fuel and the Marshall Security guard jumped into action.

Source: Briefly News