An attempted hostage-taking by a South African police officer backfired on Monday when he shot himself in the leg inside his boss’s office at a station near Cape Town.
The incident happened when the 24-year-old constable held up his station commander and two other senior officers while he was on duty at Bishop Lavis in the Western Cape, police spokesperson Captain Elliot Sinyangana said.
“Somehow it just happened that he shot himself. And when he fell down, his colleagues pounced on him and he was arrested,” Sinyangana told Agence France-Presse.
“We are not yet sure about the motive and the whole saga and the cop’s strange behaviour is being investigated.”
The constable, who has been in the service for three years, is now lying in hospital under police guard. — AFP