Suicidal prisoner causes deadly crash

[APoc184]

http://www.news24.com/Content/South...0-07-52/Suicidal_prisoner_causes_deadly_crash

Moloto - A suicidal prisoner apparently caused a collision between a police bakkie and a minibus taxi that killed eight people near Moloto on Thursday evening, Mpumalanga police said.

The housebreaking suspect was traveling in a marked police bakkie with two officers when he allegedly tried to grab the steering wheel and drive off a bridge on the R573 shortly before 18:00, Captain Leonard Hlathi said.

As the three men wrestled for control of the vehicle they collided with an oncoming minibus taxi.

The "slight collision" caused the taxi driver to lose control of his vehicle and overturn. Five men, including the driver, and three women in the minibus were killed.

Both police officers, their prisoner and five other people were injured.

The officers, based in Tweefontein, were taking the man, who was in leg irons, to point out where he had hidden his loot.

The minibus was heading to Pretoria from Groblersdal, Limpopo.

Now, please tell me why the prisoner was in the front with the officers and not in the back of the van where he belongs?

 

[MickZA]

... to point out where he had hidden his loot

I suspect that's the reason.

 

[APoc184]

I don't know if the police vans changed, but there used to be a steel grid between the cabin and the canopy. He could easily have pointed it out from there.

And, did he only have leg irons on? Or was he hand-cuffed as well?

 

[ToxicBunny]

From whats written in this story this looks like basic negligence on the part of the police.

The prisoner should have been cuffed and put in leg irons and in the BACK of the police van.

 

[MickZA]

I wonder if it was a bakkie without a canopy and not a van, they have both types at our local cop shop.

Still pretty negligent though.

 

[APoc184]

Lots of gaps in the story.

Was he first taken to the station or did the cops take him to point out the treasure immediately after arrest.
I would assume he was in the cells and then taken to point out the loot. In which case it is a pretty dodgy time they went. 18h00 when it is almost dark already.
I will go as far as to say that the cops wanted to get the loot and keep it for themselves and they must have made a deal with the prisoner.

 

[RSkeens]

I will go as far as to say that the cops wanted to get the loot and keep it for themselves and they must have made a deal with the prisoner.

To be honest I was thinking around the same thing, but rather that the prisoner assumed something would happen to him afterwards, which caused him to do what he did.