SA Police has launched a review after a call-out on Friday ended with a well-known Greek Australian Rostrevor shop owner and his son being pepper-sprayed
A fruit and veg shop owner claims SA Police “wrongfully accused” him of indecently exposing himself on a busy road before officers pepper-sprayed him and his 15-year-old son.
Footage has emerged of the arrest on Friday afternoon that has sparked an internal police review.
https://youtube.com/shorts/jjPFqKp1p3Q
The footage shows St Bernards Fruit and Veg Market owner John Kapiris and his son in a heated discussion with police before a male officer pushes Mr Kapiris.
His son then moves towards the officer before the pepper-spraying and Mr Kapiris’s arrest.
Police were called to Magill Rd after reports of inappropriate behaviour.
But Mr Kapiris said it was a complete mix-up and he was staging photos out the front of his St Bernards Rd shop for one of his notorious “dropped-pants specials” in which he kept his underwear on.
“I always get my (long) pants off,” he said.
“I walk around the shop for half an hour and the customers go mental – they love it.”
Mr Kapiris alleged that police arrived and asked him for his personal details but would not tell him why, and when he resisted, things turned ugly.
“It just escalated from there ... within 40 seconds me and my son were pepper-sprayed,” Mr Kapiris said.
“I’m a heavy athsmatic and I thought I was gone.”
Mr Kapiris and his wife Leannda said their son was in so much pain that he had to sit in the shower for two hours.
“I’ve never seen him in so much pain,” Mrs Kapiris said.
Only 2 days ago An Adelaide store owner has issued a blistering threat to ALDI after spotting what the supermarket giant had erected outside his shop.
John Kapiris owns the St Bernards Fruit and Veg Market in Rostrevor, Adelaide, and was angry to see a large advertisement for ALDI’s fresh produce in front of his store.
The ad says “Aussie produce, ALDI prices” and alongside a photo of a bunch of bananas. It has been erected at a bus stop in front of the market.
Given that St Bernards prides itself on offering Australian fruit and vegetables sourced mainly from the Kapiris family farm, John took offence at the sign.
In a fiery 45-second video shared on social media, John took aim at ALDI - telling them they had 48 hours to remove the ad or he’d “burn it” down or “rip it off with a forklift”.
On the store’s website, the Kapiris family say it strives to offer the lowest prices in Adelaide.
“We at St Bernards Fruit and Veg are a family-owned [business] with added value of our own family farm in Two Wells, which supplies a lot of the produce in store,” it says.
“Having our own farm has really been a big advantage and has helped keep our prices competitive but often the lowest in Adelaide.”
The family added that it is “devoted to sourcing locally grown seasonal fruit and veg to support local growers” on produce it does not grow itself.
Greek City Times understands the sign has been replaced earlier today with different advertising.
