A suspected drunk taxi driver appeared in court this week following his arrest on Tuesday afternoon, during an incident in which he nearly knocked down a City of Cape Town traffic officer.

The taxi driver attempted to evade arrest when he was stopped by the traffic official on Wetton Road shortly after 4 PM.

Videos shared on social media show the driver brazenly driving away, nearly mowing down the traffic officer. The official had to run in front of the taxi to avoid getting hit.

The officer continued his pursuit of the driver, and he was subsequently arrested and taken to Lansdowne Police Station, where he was charged with failing to comply with a lawful instruction, attempted murder and driving while intoxicated.

Appearing in court earlier this week, the charge of attempted murder had been dropped, and the City’s Traffic Department says he was only charged with Driving Under The Influence (DUI) of alcohol.

He was granted a R1000 bail and ordered to appear in court again on 25 November.

Traffic Services Spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout has condemned the incident.

“This type of behaviour and blatant disregard for officers of the law will not be tolerated.”