[imagesource: YouTube / News24]

Another precarious standoff happened on Joburg’s roads last Thursday.

A shirtless man brandishing a knife was attacking passing cars, trying to stab people through open windows, when police intervened.

A team from News24 managed to capture the incident on camera on the N17 Wemmer Pan Road, on the city’s outskirts.

Captain Mavela Masondo, a police spokesperson, told News24 that the police were hesitant to shoot the man when they first arrived as there were questions about his mental state.

But things escalated when the man became more violent, throwing stones at police and passing cars:

“As police were taking him to hospital for evaluation and treatment, the suspect was hitting the van trying to open the door. Police stopped the car and went to inspect,” Masondo said.

The man then managed to corner a woman in a car, who in panic, stalled, which allowed the man to smash her windscreen with a brick.

She screamed desperately for the police to stop and managed to flee from her car, by which time the police got between her and the man.

After repeated warnings, the police finally shot the man in the leg.

Apparently, one officer even sustained a wound during the struggle.

Masondo said the man was taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment:

[source:news24]