In a rare incident of trying to escape from police, a South African is reported to have defecated in public then wiped his faeces on his face when police wanted to arrest him for allegedly stealing a spare wheel from a parked car.

In a statement on Monday, the City of Cape Town said a metro police CCTV operator on Saturday spotted a man in the CBD stealing a spare wheel from a parked car and alerted officers.

When faced with the possibility of arrest, the man undressed himself and began defecating before wiping the faeces on his face.

It, however, did not deter police officers from arresting the man for theft.

“The lengths that some people will go to evade arrest are truly shocking. We are highlighting these incidents to remind the public of the daily challenges that our uniformed staff face in the interest of public safety, not to mention that they put their lives on the line for the rest of us,” said Smith, committee member for safety and security.

The suspect will possibly be charged for resisting arrest and theft.