Cape Town - Two Atlantis cops, accused of kidnapping and shooting an alleged thief and leaving him to die, have been released on R15 000 bail by the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court.
Kevin Tamboer and Stanton van Heerden were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Wednesday after a month long investigation into the near fatal shooting.
A source said the duo were arrested inside the station and stripped of their rank in full view of their colleagues.
“Tamboer, known for being a car fanatic, alleged that two men had stolen his car battery. While on duty he went to collect both alleged suspects at their homes and (allegedly) took them to the Industrial Area just outside Atlantis and beat them.”
The source said the men denied stealing the battery and cried for help but their screams fell on deaf ears.
He further claimed, “The area is very isolated. They (allegedly) took them to a dead end road where nobody could see or hear what was going on.
They (allgedly) took out their guns and shot one of the men in the right leg. The second victim escaped and ran away. The cops (allegedly) left the injured victim in the bushes to die and drove off but his (victim’s) friend ran to get help and an ambulance was called.”
He said the victim reported the case at Melkbosstrand police station apparently fearing the docket would be tampered with at Atlantis. “On Wednesday, Ipid arrived and stripped them of their ranks and took them.”
Ipid spokesperson, Robbie Raburabu, confirmed the arrest and said the pair were charged with kidnapping and attempted murder.
“They appeared in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court and were granted bail. At this stage the involvement of the third officer is still under investigation.”
According to the court records they were granted R15 000 bail and were informed that video footage and additional medical records needed to be obtained.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said: “They were arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder of a complainant and appeared at Atlantis Magistrate’s Court.
“They had bail set at R15 000 each and their case was postponed until 14 February for further investigation.”