Two Tutume cops got the fright of their lives recently when a Zimbabwean boy, believed to be 14, attacked them with an axe after they had taken him home to change for court, where he was due to face a rape charge.
One officer was reportedly hacked in the neck while the other suffered a deep cut to his right hand when he rushed to his colleague’s aid.
Tutume Station Commander, Semakaleng Mazebane, revealed the bloody battle took place at Selolwane fields, some 5km out of town.
“He was going to be arraigned for a rape charge he allegedly committed on the 12th [January] at the fields and fled only to be arrested on Sunday. He is alleged to have raped the woman in the presence of her boyfriend, who he had a commanded to stay under the bed,” Mazebane disclosed.
According to the police boss, the injured officers, aged 33 and 37, reported that on arrival at the youth’s house, they removed his handcuffs but kept his feet shackled.
“One of the officer’s phones rang and he went outside to take the call, leaving the boy in the house with another Zimbabwean man and the other cop,” continued Mazebane.
It was then that the teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, is said to have struck, grabbing an axe and striking the startled officer in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, the stricken cop’s comrade ran to the rescue only to have the axe turned on him.
With both men bleeding, the teen is alleged to have asked his homeboy to help him finish them off but he refused.
“That is when he was arrested, put in the police van and taken back to the station,” stated Mazebane, adding both officers were then rushed to the hospital to have their injuries treated.
The following day, the young suspect was taken to Masunga Magistrate Court, where he was slapped with four counts being: rape, entering the country illegally and two counts of assaulting a police officer on duty.
He was remanded in custody and then taken on a 600km trip down south to Moshupa Boys Prison, where he will stay until his next court appearance, set for Monday 13 February. Without the relevant documents to prove his age, the boy will be subjected to an Age Identification Test to verify that he is indeed 14, with some grumbling in court that he looked much older!
