WATCH | Delft police officer viciously attacked with an axe

The video of a suspect attacking a member of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has gone viral across social media platforms.

On Monday, the officer was attacked by an axe-wielding suspect in Delft, Cape Town.

In the over two-minute-long video, three people can be seen having a conversation. Seconds later, a woman in a pink beanie and a man start walking away, while another man in a brown jacket also begins to move.

An unknown man dressed in a black top and maroon pants enters the frame and moves the man in the brown jacket aside as he attempts to flee. The two other individuals, one of whom is a woman, immediately run away.

Another individual enters the frame, and the man in the black jacket runs but turns around as the latest unidentified man, dressed in grey tracksuit pants and a black top, begins swinging an axe.

He eventually grabs the man in the brown jacket and repeatedly strikes him on the head with the axe.

Another accomplice of the axe-wielding suspect assists in forcing the man in brown to the ground. The assault continues, and the victim is believed to be a police officer dressed in a brown jacket.

The man in maroon pants appears to try to stop the assault, prompting the two men to turn their attention to him and chase him. A man in a blue jacket can be seen standing by as the officer regains his feet and pursues the suspects.

The officer moves out of frame but is later seen again chasing the suspect with the axe, with his accomplice following behind.

A police officer in uniform is also seen pursuing the three suspects.

Chaos breaks out as all individuals initially seen in the footage re-enter the frame, and more uniformed officers begin chasing the suspects.

The officer in the brown jacket is later brought back to the premises by a female uniformed officer and appears visibly drowsy.

In a statement on Monday, police confirmed that a police officer was struck on the head with an axe.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said a fellow police officer witnessed the incident and immediately responded by firing warning shots, which resulted in the suspects fleeing the scene.

The suspects abandoned their vehicle and attempted to evade arrest.

“A coordinated pursuit by SAPS members and City of Cape Town LEAP officers resulted in the arrest of three suspects, two men aged 23 and 25, and a 23-year-old woman. The axe believed to have been used in the attack was also recovered,” Traut said.

The injured police officer was transported to a medical facility for treatment and is reported to be in a stable condition.

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