A South African dad was apprehended after chucking his child from the roof of his shack as he was resisting the demolition of the structure.
The incident occurred on Thursday at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Port Elizabeth. police and members of the municipality were demolishing shacks built on municipal land.
During the tense situation, a policeman had attempted to negotiate with the father to no avail. This was followed by the dad hurling the child from the top of the roof to the astonished screams and gasps of onlookers.
After a frantic scuffle, the 38-year-old suspect was apprehended and charged later with attempted murder.
Luckily, the police caught the flying toddler who seemed unaware of the danger.
The man had been clutching his baby daughter to his chest on his corrugated iron rooftop amid a heavy police presence in the area to safeguard the process as the SAPS, metro police and municipal officials started demolishing shacks built on illegally occupied municipal land.
The father, with the assistance of a 35-year-old woman identified as the toddler’s mother, had climbed onto the roof of the last shack still standing with his child after about 150 residents had urged him to do so, some chanting: “They will do nothing to it [shack].”
The man was then arrested.
Port Elizabeth police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said social workers would be called in.
“Currently, the baby is still with the police. We will be getting social workers to deal with the matter,” he said.