A municipal employee believed to be under the influence of alcohol was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after crashing into a Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) response vehicle while fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run in Temple Valley.
The incident unfolded around 17:43 when a motorist contacted the RUSA Operations Centre, reporting that a white Toyota Hilux had rear-ended his Hyundai i10 on Ireland Street in the Verulam CBD. According to the caller, the bakkie’s driver initially stopped but sped off when questioned about his apparent intoxication.
The motorist followed the suspect vehicle and alerted RUSA while the bakkie drove erratically through the CBD towards Temple Valley.
RUSA officers were dispatched and began searching for the fleeing vehicle. During the pursuit, the driver ran a stop street and collided with a RUSA Toyota Fortuner. He then attempted to flee once more but was quickly boxed in by backup officers.
Authorities later confirmed that the 32-year-old suspect is employed as a plumber with the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Department. He told officers that the vehicle he was driving belongs to the municipality.
He was arrested at the scene and handed over to Verulam SAPS for further investigation. The RUSA officer involved in the collision was unharmed.