Chief magistrate arrested over gun bar brawl

Kapchorwa Chief Magistrate has been arrested and detained by the police after a bar brawl in which he is alleged to have drawn a gun at his cousins at a hotel in Moroto Municipality. 

Police sources said Chief Magistrate Brince Teko Lokeris  faces charges of attempted murder and assault.
A pistol that he was allegedly holding at the scene had also been confiscated and exhibited at Moroto Central Police Station.   

It is alleged that Lokeris arrived at Moroto Hotel with his cousins for a drink between 8pm and 9pm on Saturday when the incident happened. 

The source, who preferred anonymity, because he has a working relationship with the suspect, said the group developed a misunderstanding. 

It is further alleged that Lokeris stood up and punched one of his cousins, but the victim didn’t retaliate.  
Angry with the victim’s inactivity, he allegedly got his pistol and cocked it before threatening the cousin with death. 

The witness said Moroto speaker Cesar Akol attempted to refrain Lokeris but failed.
Seeing their lives in danger, the cousins called for help.  

Luckily, a Uganda People’s Defence Forces soldier and a bodyguard to the area Internal Security Organisation commander, who had lodged at the hotel, intervened. 

In a dramatic scene, the soldier overpowered the chief magistrate and disarmed him, the source said. 
Police officers were called in and the soldier handed him over to them. 

The source further said when Lokeris got into the control of police, he again turned violent.

The source said the officers bundled him into a waiting police car before he was driven to Moroto Central Police Station. 
Lokeris was in the district to attend the burial of his grandmother Loyce Natiiwi, who was buried on Saturday at Naitakwai village, a suburb of Moroto Town.

When our reporter reached the State Minister for Minerals Peter Lokeris, who is the father of the chief magistrate, he regretted the incident. 

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said he [Lokeris] had been release on police bond as investigations continue . 
Judiciary public relations officer Mr Jamson Karemani said: “We haven’t been informed officially as an institution, but we are getting in touch with the police in Moroto.”