News / National
Female cop hit at roadblock
04 Apr 2016 at 06:52hrs | Views
A FEMALE traffic police officer from Lalapanzi cheated death after a pirate taxi driver tried to run over her in his vehicle at a roadblock on Easter Monday.
Brian Bepe, 31, from Gweru allegedly sped from the scene before bypassing a tollgate between Mvuma and Gweru in a bid to escape arrest.
Bepe was arrested after a motorist sped ahead of him and alerted police officers at a roadblock near Thornhill Airbase in Gweru who managed to stop him.
Bepe appeared on initial remand before Gweru Magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda facing one count of attempted murder.
The magistrate did not ask Bepe to plead and remanded him out of custody on $100 bail to April 13.
Chibanda ordered him to report at Gweru Central Police Station every fortnight.
Prosecuting, Lloyd Mavhisa told the court that on March 28 at around 1PM, Bepe was driving along the Mvuma-Gweru road towards Gweru.
Mavhisa said Constable Esline Matarirano stopped him at a roadblock in Lalapanzi.
"Bepe suddenly drove at high speed towards Cst Matarirano, hitting her with his vehicle. He didn't stop and sped off at high speed towards Gweru," he said.
"Cst Chigagure followed him to the tollgate using public transport and Bepe ignored orders to stop three times along the way."
The prosecutor told the court that a motorist who witnessed the hit and run incident sped past Bepe and tipped Sergeant Shava and his workmate who were manning a roadblock near Thornhill Airbase along Mvuma-Gweru Road. They arrested the taxi driver.
The extent of Cst Matarirano's injuries were not disclosed in court.
On Good Friday, another taxi driver, Elisha Chidhimiri, allegedly knocked down a police officer at a roadblock near Mvuma.
Chidhimiri allegedly took offence when the cops asked him to hand over his licence.
He allegedly smashed into a cop and drove for some distance with the hapless officer hanging onto the vehicle's bonnet, before dragging him on the road.
Chidhimiri appeared in court on Tuesday on attempted murder charges and was remanded in custody to April 13.
Brian Bepe, 31, from Gweru allegedly sped from the scene before bypassing a tollgate between Mvuma and Gweru in a bid to escape arrest.
Bepe was arrested after a motorist sped ahead of him and alerted police officers at a roadblock near Thornhill Airbase in Gweru who managed to stop him.
Bepe appeared on initial remand before Gweru Magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda facing one count of attempted murder.
The magistrate did not ask Bepe to plead and remanded him out of custody on $100 bail to April 13.
Chibanda ordered him to report at Gweru Central Police Station every fortnight.
Prosecuting, Lloyd Mavhisa told the court that on March 28 at around 1PM, Bepe was driving along the Mvuma-Gweru road towards Gweru.
Mavhisa said Constable Esline Matarirano stopped him at a roadblock in Lalapanzi.
"Cst Chigagure followed him to the tollgate using public transport and Bepe ignored orders to stop three times along the way."
The prosecutor told the court that a motorist who witnessed the hit and run incident sped past Bepe and tipped Sergeant Shava and his workmate who were manning a roadblock near Thornhill Airbase along Mvuma-Gweru Road. They arrested the taxi driver.
The extent of Cst Matarirano's injuries were not disclosed in court.
On Good Friday, another taxi driver, Elisha Chidhimiri, allegedly knocked down a police officer at a roadblock near Mvuma.
Chidhimiri allegedly took offence when the cops asked him to hand over his licence.
He allegedly smashed into a cop and drove for some distance with the hapless officer hanging onto the vehicle's bonnet, before dragging him on the road.
Chidhimiri appeared in court on Tuesday on attempted murder charges and was remanded in custody to April 13.
Source - chronicle
