Three months after 19-year-old Orandi Welcome Jnr was allegedly struck by a police vehicle in New Amsterdam, his family is demanding accountability from the cops involved.
The incident occurred on July 8, 2025, along Pitt Street, New Amsterdam (Backdam half), as Welcome was returning home after dropping off a friend who had been riding pillion on his motorcycle.
According to reports, police allegedly mistook Welcome for a robbery suspect and reportedly rammed him with their vehicle, breaking his leg in three places. After the collision, Welcome claimed an officer drew his firearm and aimed it at his face.
Speaking with Ignite News, the victim’s father, Orandi Welcome Snr, described the incident as a “blatant injustice.”
“He was riding without a helmet, yes, and he had a friend on the back,” Welcome Snr admitted but added that “After he dropped off the friend and was turning back, the police just drove into him. They didn’t signal him to stop, didn’t use the siren, didn’t shout — nothing. They just knocked him down and broke his leg in three places.”
Welcome Snr questioned why the police acted with such aggression when there was no proof his son was connected to any crime.
“If they had fired that shot and killed my son, people would’ve said he was wrong. Two other boys might have done a robbery, and just because my son was riding a bike, they decided to attack him. An innocent man could’ve died for nothing.”
The elder Welcome said his son has been unable to work since the incident. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has charged the young man for traffic offences — including riding without a helmet and operating an unlicensed motorcycle.
His father, however, is dismayed that no action has been taken against the officers allegedly involved in the incident.
He said the family intends to continue pressing for justice, even if it means taking legal action.
