A local lad suffered a serious injury, after he was targeted in a road rage incident, in Laudium, that has left him scarred for life.
Twenty-one-year-old Sharedon Sequira shared with the Laudium Sun the details of the horrifying incident that unfolded on the night of March 23, which might cost him his sight in one eye. Sharedon recalled how he and his uncle had been travelling along Jacinth Street in a white VW kombi, around 19:30, exiting via 19th Avenue and turning west onto Military Road, when they noticed a gold Ford Fiesta behind them. At first, they thought nothing of it. With his uncle in the passenger seat next to him, and his music turned up, Sharedon said he continued to drive comfortably at about 80km per hour, careful to avoid the many potholes on the roadway.
"I then saw the Fiesta behind my vehicle flashing lights at me, so I began to worry that maybe something was wrong with my vehicle, like maybe a flat tyre or something. I didn't stop but kept looking through my rearview mirror, keeping to my speed of 80km. I then saw the Fiesta overtaking me, but when he overtook me, the driver did so with such enraged speed, as though he wanted to push me off the road. So I swerved to my left and almost hit a tree. As I looked at the driver, he flashed his middle finger at me. I was in total shock and started wondering if maybe he was trying to hijack me,” the visibly shaken Sharedon related.
He continued, “Then the Fiesta sped past my kombi, as if going to Itireleng. I was just about to turn onto Delhi Street, when I saw the Fiesta take a U-turn, speeding past me again. Then, I heard a loud bang. The left side window was shattered and I felt something hitting my eye. I was stunned. I just switched off my vehicle and held my face. My uncle jumped out in shock, running towards me at the driver’s side, screaming and telling me that I had been shot. I still didn't realise I was shot until I felt blood running down my face. I quickly rushed to the Laudium Hospital where they left me just like that on the floor for almost two hours. When my family arrived, the nurses told them that they could not help me, so my family rushed me to Kalafong Hospital," Sharedon exclaimed.
"I didn't know that road rage in Laudium has become this bad. Till now, my uncle and I still don't know who this guy might be or where this guy is from. We've never seen this car before and we were too shocked to take down the registration number at that time. We didn't know things were going to be so serious or that my life would be in danger. I will be going for an operation on April 9 and I don't know if I will lose the sight in my one eye or not, but if anyone knows who the driver of the gold Fiesta is, I urge them to please come forward. I later learnt that it was a pellet gun that was used in the shooting. This guy needs to be punished for making me suffer like this,” concluded a very tearful Sharedon.
21-year-old Sharedon Sequira shows his injured eye.
The shattered side window that was hit by a pellet gun.
The intersection of Military Road and Delhi Avenue, in Laudium Ext 3, where the apparent road rage incident occurred.