Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – Talk about role-reversal. A regular joe pulled over a police officer for driving while intoxicated, throwing him into the back of his own van and driving it to the police station.

Russell George, from Prestbury, said that he was driving on Sunday when he saw a police van driving “recklessly” into oncoming traffic.

“He was driving towards oncoming traffic as he turned into Victoria Road,” George told News24. “At this point I was concerned about the safety of other road users.”

George confronted the drunken police officer, who then sped off and continued to drive recklessly.

“He suddenly jammed on his brakes and came to a complete stop,” George recalled “I got out of my car and went towards him and I asked him if he knew what he was doing. He started his car and carried on driving.”

George called emergency services, and was told that police would arrive shortly. After some time had passed, George decided to take matters into his own hands.

“After five minutes, no one had arrived. So I jumped out of my car and I approached the driver’s side and asked him to come out. He looked at me and I could smell that he had been drinking,” he said. “I asked him again, and he refused. I then grabbed his keys, pulled him out and locked him in the back of his own van.”

MSN reports that Khanyi Mnikathi, a witness, said that the drunken police officer said he was celebrating his birthday and “did not deny that he was drunk.”

“It was ironic because it was a citizen who put him in the back of his own van,” she said, also noting that the other cops who arrived on scene were “embarrassed” and that the drunken cop started crying when he was put in the back of his van.

The drunken police officer has been charged with driving while intoxicated, and is currently under investigation.