Durban – An elderly Tongaat couple were rescued by police in the early hours of Wednesday morning after they were held hostage and repeatedly stabbed by their son.
The father, 79 and the mother, 68, suffered multiple stab wounds and were rushed to hospital shortly after police stormed their first floor flat in Dhalia Road in Buffelsdale to rescue them.
Their 34-year-old son was taken into custody.
The drama started shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning when panicked neighbours called local security company, Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) and the police when a commotion was heard inside the elderly couple’s home.
According to Rusa, their medics were called by the police who established that the man had stabbed his parents and had barricaded himself into the flat.
“On arrival, Reaction Officers and medics learnt that the son had locked his parents and himself in their first floor flat and was denying access to law enforcement and medics,” Rusa said.
Police hostage negotiators were called to the scene and tried to talk the knife-wielding man into surrendering.
After failing to convince the man to surrender, the police’s Task Force stormed a bedroom where he barricaded himself and his parents and rescued the elderly couple.
“He was armed with a kitchen knife which he used to repeatedly stab his 79-year-old father and 68-year-old mother,” Rusa said.
“The man is believed to be bi-polar however this could not be confirmed. Medics from Reaction Unit South Africa treated the couple for multiple stab wounds before transporting them to a medical facility. The motive for the attack has not been confirmed at this stage”.
