Bloody Pretoria brawl ends with man shot in eye, two arrested

The wounded man was taken to Kalafong Hospital, and the third suspect is still on the run after an argument while drinking escalated.

South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in Laudium, southwest of Pretoria have arrested two men and recovered three firearms, two of them unlicensed, after another man was seriously wounded when he was shot in the eye following a brawl between two groups, Gauteng police said on Sunday.

“It’s alleged by the complainant [the wounded man] that he and a group of his friends were sitting and drinking when an argument ensued. The complainant confirmed that he physically assaulted one of the suspects before the argument escalated into a full-blown physical brawl,” police spokesperson Constable Mandlakayise Zwane said.

“It is alleged that the three suspects retreated from the fight as they were outnumbered, but later returned to the scene carrying pistols. It’s further alleged that the three suspects began shooting randomly and ended up shooting the complainant in the eye.”

The wounded man was taken to Kalafong Hospital. “Two of the three gun-toting suspects were arrested at Kalafong Hospital. The third suspect was able to evade the police and he’s still on the run,” said Zwane.

Two pistols and a revolver were recovered on the scene. “Two of the three mentioned firearms are unlicensed and one is licensed, and it’s believed to belong to the third suspect who’s currently on the run. The two detained suspects are 26 and 36 years old,” said Zwane.

The two arrested suspects would be charged with attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms, and are due to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court soon, he said.

SAPS in Laudium appealed to members of the community to come forward with information to help them arrest the the third suspect by calling Crime Line on 08600-10111. The Ciziten.