Officers at the Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) have nabbed a suspect wanted for the alleged murder of a 22-year-old man after he was discovered hiding under a bed.

According to reports from the unit, an angry crowd attempted to attack policemen in an effort to prevent them from removing the accused from an area in Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal.

Escape?

The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday when members from RUSA received information that the suspect had concealed himself in dense bushes.

A drone was launched, and the pilot conducted an extensive aerial search of the area. However, the suspect could not be located.

After questioning a few locals in the area, including residents, relatives and associates in an attempt to trace the wanted male. Officers established that the suspect had sought refuge at a relative’s residence.

Hiding under the bed

After approximately two hours, Reaction Unit officers proceeded to the property and discovered the suspect hiding beneath a bed in a bedroom.

He was restrained, and members from the South African Police Service (Saps) were called to the scene.

Upon their arrival, the accused were handed over, but a large crowd soon gathered and demanded that the suspect be released into their custody.

Several individuals openly threatened to attack the policemen if they attempted to remove him from the area.

Trapped exit

The situation escalated after the suspect was loaded into a police van, with members of the crowd throwing stones at the vehicle and blocking the driveway with concrete blocks and steel drums.

According to RUSA, individuals armed with weapons surrounded the area and threatened to set the state vehicle alight.

The two police men and their prisoner were effectively trapped for about an hour, where RUSA officers were immediately redeployed to the remote location.

A helicopter was dispatched to the scene, and the aircrew maintained aerial surveillance while providing intelligence to ground crews on the crowd’s movements and activities.

Detained

According to reports by RUSA, backup officers secured the scene as the crowd continued protesting around the police vehicle by removing the obstacles blocking the roadway and creating an escape route.

The trapped policemen and murder suspect were thereafter escorted to safety without further incident.

RUSA has confirmed that the suspect has been detained.