Durban — A man allegedly found it safer to flee into the ocean and cling on to rocks than face police at a roadblock on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that on Thursday night, Umhlali police were conducting stop and search duties on Compensation Road in Ballito when they were informed by a security guard that a foreign national saw the police and ran towards the beach.
Ngcobo said that police proceeded in the said direction and the man was spotted getting in the water.
“Lifeguards were called and tried to save the man who was violent towards them. He refused to be assisted and swam away,” Ngcobo said.
Medi Response spokesperson Paul Herbst said that the emergency service’s search and rescue crews were activated to Clarke Bay in Ballito, for reports of a person in the sea.
Herbst said when the crews arrived, it was established that a man had allegedly been stopped at a routine police traffic stop when he alighted his vehicle and began running towards the ocean. It is reported that the man then entered the water and proceeded to cling to rocks.
“Medi Response rescue swimmers entered the water in a bid to bring the man back to shore. The man was wholly unco-operative and refused to return to shore.
“The man is a strong swimmer as he was seemingly capable in his attempts. Equally, he was aggressive in warding off his would-be rescuers with attempts made to push and hold one of the rescuers underwater,” Herbst said.
“The man proceeded to swim approximately 500m in a southern direction towards Zimbali. Ultimately, rescue swimmers abandoned their efforts to coax the man to shore, owing to safety concerns.”
Herbst said the incident was left in the charge of the attending police.
Chapman Security Solutions said the suspect was charged into the ocean in a last-minute bid to avoid their teams.
Medi Response thanked their rescue swimmers, Janus van Schalkwyk and Herbst, for their efforts in trying to bring the man back to shore and Chapman Security Solutions, together with IPSS Electronic Security, for assisting their crews.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Chapman Security Solutions assisted with roadblocks and visible policing alongside Umhlali SAPS and KwaDukuza Municipality.
Daily News