A JOBURG Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer is behind bars following a pile-up crash that claimed the life of a young mother and two of her children last night.
The woman’s husband and an 11-year-old daughter also sustained injuries. According to the JMPD, the killed children were aged eight months and eight years.
JMPD boss David Tembe has revealed their VIP protection officer involved in the accident was drunk that is why he was arrested and charged with three counts of culpable homicide.
He has also been suspended from JPMD with immediate effect, pending an internal disciplinary hearing.
Off-duty during the incident, the officer was driving the JMPD’s BMW vehicle.
The pile-up collision happened on the Golden Highway, near Lenasia, just before 8pm Sunday evening.
“My heart goes out to the victims and and families who lost their loved ones in this tragic accident. The department will conduct a full investigation and fully cooperate with the investigation,” Tembe told journalists at JMPD’s Martindale headquarters.
The 35-year-old officer escaped unscathed in the accident. There were also no injuries in the taxi also involved in the collision.
The officer was expected to appear at the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
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