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A police station commander is in trouble after he lost his temper and deflated the tyres of a public service vehicle, before turning his gun on a pedestrian in Kayole estate.
Soweto OCS Daniel Kariuki, in a fit of road rage, mistakenly shot and injured a pedestrian (name withheld) while pursuing a fleeing Forward Sacco driver who had allegedly blocked him.
The OCS was rushing to a meeting convened on July 23 by his boss Kayole OCPD Ali Nuno. It is not clear what prompted Kariuki to use his pistol against the public. However, it is understood the driver of the matatu had stopped in the middle of the road within the estate and blocked the GK police car. The police chief followed the matatu up to Kio stage, which is about 200 metres from where it had allegedly blocked him.
Forward Sacco fleet manager, Peter Mwangi, claims the driver had stopped at the stage to drop and pick passengers when all hell broke loose. The OCS reportedly jumped out of his car, pulled out his pistol and shot at the matatu’s tyres. He then allegedly shot at the cabin and damaged the vehicle’s engine. The driver of the matatu is said to have fled towards Kayole II market with Kariuki hot on his heels.
“He aimed at our driver, but the bullet missed and hit a pedestrian who was rushed to hospital,” said Mwangi.
Mwangi defended the driver against any wrong doing, insisting the OCS was the one on the wrong.
The bullet hit the pedestrian near the chest and lodged in the victim’s back. Initially, the injured pedestrian, who is still receiving treatment, had agreed to grant The Nairobian an interview, but later changed his mind without offering an explanation.
Nuno, the OCPD said officers accompanying the OCS were forced to climb on the roof of the matatu in an attempt to force open the windows. “But the driver reversed the vehicle and sped off dangerously with the officers hanging precariously on the matatu,” claimed Nuno. To save the lives of his officers, the OCS opened fire and deflated the tyres of the speeding vehicle, Nuno added.
“Unfortunately, a stray bullet hit a pedestrian. The matter is being resolved internally,” added the police boss. Kariuki is barely one month at the station, having taken over from super cop Stephen Lelei whom they swapped positions with. Lelei was transferred to Busia County.
