Details emerge about Engen attack
A video of an assault at the Engen Service Station in Hochland Park that went viral on social media does not reflect the series of events that led to the use of force by security guards.
This is according to the managing director of Dog Force Security Services, Kuume Uutaapama, who condemned the force used by his guards and said they had been suspended pending an internal investigation.
However, he explained that the incident, which has led to calls for a boycott of the service station, was actually instigated by two brothers who had provoked a fight with the security guards.
According to him the two men, who were intoxicated, arrived at the service station between 04:00 and 05:00.
He said one of the men's hands were cut and bleeding. “He was touching food parcels and bleeding on the floor.”
Uutaapama said one of the security guards reprimanded him and asked him to wait outside for his brother. The man went outside but came back in and started hurling racial slurs at the guard.
Apparently another guard then tried to intervene and even after the man's brother told him that they should leave, things only got worse.
Uutaapama said one of the men started throwing food around and started fighting with one of the guards, who then had to use pepper spray.
Uutaapama told Namibian Sun that he felt very bad that people were judging the guards because they only saw what had happened outside the shop.
A video went viral on Monday, showing how the guards assaulted the two brothers with what appeared to be a wooden object outside the service station.
Uutaapama said the panic button was pressed three times but backup from G4S only showed up about 20 minutes after the fight ended.
“People are now calling for the service station to shut down, but they do not know the entire story.”
The owner of the service station says he has been in the business for 18 years and there have been only two violent incidents.
He says people are now calling for a boycott of his business and threatening to burn it down, but the fight was between the security guards and the two men.
He says he does not condone violence but it happens regularly that intoxicated people provoke the guards.
Meanwhile, the police have also dismissed claims that they are doing nothing to investigate the incident.
According to Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi the police have been proactive from the start.
Upon first learning about the incident they searched for the two men at hospitals and found them at the Roman Catholic Hospital, where they took witness statements.
According to him a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is being investigated. Nobody has been arrested.
ELLANIE SMIT
This is according to the managing director of Dog Force Security Services, Kuume Uutaapama, who condemned the force used by his guards and said they had been suspended pending an internal investigation.
However, he explained that the incident, which has led to calls for a boycott of the service station, was actually instigated by two brothers who had provoked a fight with the security guards.
According to him the two men, who were intoxicated, arrived at the service station between 04:00 and 05:00.
He said one of the men's hands were cut and bleeding. “He was touching food parcels and bleeding on the floor.”
Uutaapama said one of the security guards reprimanded him and asked him to wait outside for his brother. The man went outside but came back in and started hurling racial slurs at the guard.
Apparently another guard then tried to intervene and even after the man's brother told him that they should leave, things only got worse.
Uutaapama said one of the men started throwing food around and started fighting with one of the guards, who then had to use pepper spray.
Uutaapama told Namibian Sun that he felt very bad that people were judging the guards because they only saw what had happened outside the shop.
A video went viral on Monday, showing how the guards assaulted the two brothers with what appeared to be a wooden object outside the service station.
Uutaapama said the panic button was pressed three times but backup from G4S only showed up about 20 minutes after the fight ended.
“People are now calling for the service station to shut down, but they do not know the entire story.”
The owner of the service station says he has been in the business for 18 years and there have been only two violent incidents.
He says people are now calling for a boycott of his business and threatening to burn it down, but the fight was between the security guards and the two men.
He says he does not condone violence but it happens regularly that intoxicated people provoke the guards.
Meanwhile, the police have also dismissed claims that they are doing nothing to investigate the incident.
According to Deputy Commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi the police have been proactive from the start.
Upon first learning about the incident they searched for the two men at hospitals and found them at the Roman Catholic Hospital, where they took witness statements.
According to him a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is being investigated. Nobody has been arrested.
ELLANIE SMIT
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