A loving dad says he was beaten and pepper-sprayed by cops on the day of his six-month-old daughter’s baptism.
Last week, the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement said one of their officers had been wounded after they were pelted with beer bottles while responding to a noise complaint in Weaver Street, Pelican Park.
The officer, who was hit in the face, received medical attention in hospital and the dad, Ashley Klaasen, 31, was arrested.
However, Ashley claims he is the real victim, and was beaten so badly that he was hospitalised and received stitches below his eye.
Ashley and his fiancée, Bianca Jones, 31, have two children, a nine-year-old and their six-month-old baby, named Kelsey.
“Due to Easter, our daughter was baptised the Saturday and on Sunday we had a braai which was strictly for family,” says Bianca.
Around 7pm, three Law Enforcement officers arrived and told them to turn off the music.
“We put the music off and then my neighbours came out in our support, saying we never play music and why are they making it an issue,” she says.
She says the next moment, the officers began to pepper-spray her 54-year-old mother who stood behind the gate: “When Ashley saw my mother being pepper-sprayed, he jumped to her defence and also because there are babies on the property. He threw the bottle against the fence and not at anyone in particular.”
Bianca says officers started pepper-spraying everyone as they came for Ashley.
“He didn’t resist or attack them, he went with them,” she adds.
TREATED: Cop injured in altercation
“My baby was inside the house while they pepper sprayed and her lips had turned red.”
Bianca rushed to Grassy Park Police Station where she was told Ashley had been taken to Victoria Hospital and then to Groote Schuur:
“I then learnt that my fiancée had been beaten up in the van and that he had been pepper-sprayed in the face,” she adds.
Ashley adds: “It was not necessary to beat me like that in my face. I would have followed the process of the police station.”
Law Enforcement spokesman, Wayne Dyason, says: “The suspect was charged by our officers for resisting arrest, assault, riotous behaviour and threatening an officer.”
Police spokesman, Captain FC van Wyk, confirms the charge, and says a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) against the officer is under investigation.