Brave gran bites ex-convict attacker to escape

A VERULAM grandmother courageously fought off an ex-convict who hit her with a pop rivet gun, shattering her teeth and then throttled her inside her car, in an attempt to rob her.

The 62-year-old administrative officer, who did not want to be identified due to her safety concerns, said she had just finished running her errands at around 8.30am, when the man accosted her, in the Verulam central business district on Monday morning.

“I jumped into my car, a white Ford Figo, which was parked on Wick Street. When I closed my door, I heard the back door closing and I immediately knew that someone was in the back seat. But before I could turn around, the man grabbed me by my neck from behind.

“He pulled my head back and he throttled me. He then hit me with a pop rivet gun in my face. He shattered my front upper teeth, and the bottom ones became loose.

“Blood was pouring from my mouth. While his hands were in front of my face, I grabbed it and I bit his fingers. When he released me, I jumped out of the car. He never thought he would be bitten by a woman. He opened the door and ran. As he tried to flee, I kicked him. The vendors then saw what had happened and they stopped him. I flagged down an officer from Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) who was passing by, and they handcuffed the man and called the police,” she added.

The grandmother-of-two said the suspect behaved as if he was delusional when officers from Rusa questioned him.

“He acted like he did not know what was happening and he said he had a blackout. I screamed at him and said ‘I am not afraid of you. You know everything and you know what you did’. I am glad that I fought back and did not let him get the better of me.

“I waited until 11am in the rain with the Rusa officers until police arrived and arrested the man. Rusa paramedics treated me for my injuries. After the man’s arrest, I went to the hospital. I am not traumatised after the incident, but I am more vigilant. I plan on getting a weapon to protect myself.

“I am unsure if he was trying to hijack me or rob me. If he was going to rob me, he would have taken my bag and ran. He would not have tried to throttle me. This should be a warning to other women who travel alone. They should be on guard at all times and not be afraid to fight back,” she said.

Prem Balram, Rusa spokesperson, said the man was a 32-year-old ex-convict.

“He was apprehended and assaulted by the community. The victim was angry and bleeding from her mouth. Business owners confirmed that the man loiters around the area and installs number plates on vehicles.

“Officers identified him as the man who was arrested in April 2023 after he broke into a vehicle on Wick Street and stole a laptop. At the time of the incident, we apprehended him and recovered the stolen computer in his possession.

“He received a two-year sentence, one year of which was suspended. The man was released from Westville Prison in June this year,” Balram added.

The POST