Cop pushes gunman from train

Quick thinking by a police inspector, who pushed a gun-wielding man out of a moving Metrorail train, prevented what was almost certainly destined to end in a bloodbath.

According to passengers who witnessed the events at the Stikland station, the gunman and a friend boarded the train at the Bellville station shortly before 1pm.

Before the train could reach Wellington, chaos erupted at the Stikland station. A 29-year-old passenger, who did not wish to be named, said she was chatting to Inspector Gerhard Claasen when they heard a loud noise.

"I thought it was firecrackers but then the inspector shouted for everyone to get on the floor... it was madness. People started screaming and lying on top of each other," the visibly traumatised woman said.

Passengers reported hearing three shots - one of which hit a male passenger, believed to be from the Wemmershoek area.

"I saw the shooter pointing the gun directly at the man. It was almost as if he had targeted him," another man said. That, and the fact that the gunman's friend had reportedly attempted to keep the doors of the moving train open, led them to believe that the shooting had in fact been a hit.

The woman passenger said that while the doors were open, the gunman was "trying to back out, shooting as he went". "It was then that Inspector Claasen dived at him to protect the other passengers," she said.

Claasen is stationed at the Kraaifontein police station. Attempts to contact him on were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Bellville police spokesperson Captain Fienie Nimb said two men had been arrested. The men, aged 20 and 24, are in detention and will be charged with attempted murder.

The gunman, who was injured during the fall, is likely to spend a night or two in hospital under police guard. The injured passenger, who passengers said appeared to have been shot in the face, is in a stable condition in hospital, said Nimb, who added that Claasen had suffered superficial wounds to his eye.

She could not confirm whether the gunman and the injured man knew one another or whether or not the shooting was a hit.

Passengers praised Claasen's valiant efforts but were disturbed because they said Metrorail officials "did not offer counselling to stricken passengers". They also "did not offer to reimburse passengers who lost valuables" during the incident. Metrorail could not be reached for comment.