Chatsworth mother allegedly holds son (4) hostage after domestic dispute
Mental evaluation
The child was rescued by police after about two hours
Image: Supplied| Amawele Emergency Services
A CHATSWORTH mother, who allegedly held her four-year-old son hostage yesterday and threw bricks and boiling water at police, who were negotiating with her to release her child, will be undergoing a mental evaluation.
The woman, in her 30s, allegedly threatened to kill her son with a kitchen knife during the almost two-hour long hostage situation that gripped the area of Croftdene.
Desigan Reddy, the chairperson of the Croftdene Community Policing Forum (CPF), said the neighbours alerted police about the woman’s alleged threats.
“CPF members, police and security companies got to the home where the woman had locked her son inside the house. She had a knife and was volatile, deranged, and hostile.
The knife that the woman allegedly threatened to kill her son with.
Image: Supplied| PT Alarms and Security
“Police and security officers attempted to negotiate with her and asked her to release the boy, but she threw bricks at them. She then made water hot in a kettle and threw the water at them in an attempt to get them to leave. She was not in the right frame of mind to reason with. It was a chaotic scene," said Reddy.
He said officers had to surround the house and after almost two hours, they infiltrated the house and safely removed the boy.
“He was taken to the ambulance and checked by paramedics. Thankfully, he sustained no injuries but he was shaken. Police tried to restrain the mother but she resisted arrest.
"She hit the armed response officers but within minutes, they had subdued and restrained her. The woman was taken to hospital in the police vehicle due to her mental state. She needed medical help to determine what her mental condition was."
He said the child was placed in his father's custody.
Dhevan Govindasamy, the spokesperson for PT Alarms and Security, said their only concern was to safely remove the child from the house.
“We received information that a mother was armed with a large knife, and threatened to harm her child due to an unresolved domestic dispute. After failed negotiations, we joined the Chatsworth SAPS Tracing Team and metro police, and carefully infiltrated the property.
“The child was successfully rescued without injuries, and the mother was apprehended and taken into police custody,” said Govindasamy.