A 27-year-old Gauteng police officer was arrested for culpable homicide and drunk driving after he allegedly knocked down a man in Vanderbijlpark on Friday.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Sunday said a motorist had tried to stop the Vaal Marina police constable from driving before he allegedly knocked down a man on a bicycle, killing him.

Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said the policeman was driving a police van at 7pm on Friday when a motorist observed that he was allegedly driving recklessly.

When the policeman did not stop at a red robot, the motorist flagged down the officer.

“The passenger in that car asked the officer to stop the van because they could see that the police driver might cause an accident. He then got out of his car and asked the police officer to give him his car keys so he can drive him to the nearest police station. The police officer refused to give him the car keys and immediately drove off.

“As he was driving, the car hit an unknown male, who was riding a bicycle. The police officer did not stop. He continued driving and the other driver followed him,” Langa said.

The motorist immediately reported the incident to the police.

Officers from Vanderbijlpark were able to stop the policeman and arrest him.

“He was arrested for drunk driving. A case of culpable homicide was also opened,” Langa said.

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