Shocking video shows male cop choking young woman and straddling her during arrest for not wearing mask
An Australian police officer has been accused of choking a woman because she was not wearing a mask, with a disturbing video capturing their altercation becoming viral on social media.
The incident unfolded in Melbourne's inner suburb of Collingwood on Monday, August 10, with an officer with the Victoria Police confronting the 21-year-old woman for not wearing a face cover, according to the Sun. The city is currently under a Stage 4 lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic and it's mandated that everyone who ventures outside wear a face mask or risk facing a hefty fine.
Several clips of the officer's confrontation with the woman have since been uploaded online, with one of them showing the pair arguing in the street over something. The officer then grabs her by the arm, causing her to resist and grab his vest. In retaliation, he grabs her neck, with the shocked woman exclaiming, "What the f***?! Get the f*** off me."
A female officer then appears on the scene and tells her to let go of the officer's vest but the woman protests and screams, "He's choking me!" The struggle continues and the officer pushes her against the wall. In response, she lets go of his vest and punches him in the chest. She also tries to kick the female officer. "F*** you!" she tells them. "Get the f*** off me! What are you doing?! You're f****** choking me! You're f****** choking me dude, what the f***?!"
The male officer eventually gets her to the ground and pushes her face down as he places her in handcuffs. The woman, however, continues to protest and asks, "What have I done?!"
In another clip, which was seemingly taken from a building across the street where the altercation took place, the male officer can be seen sitting on top of the 21-year-old as he waited for reinforcements. She can be seen still struggling and flapping her feet when a man, thought to be her boyfriend, tells the officer to get off her and implies she was being arrested for not wearing a mask.
"She went to the doctor yesterday!" he exclaims. "Look what you're causing! You're f****** hypocrites! There’s a man on a girl and you choked her. For what?! For a mask?! For not having a mask?! Look how pathetic you are! Are you serious? Just for not having a mask?"
The woman is still hurling abuses at the officer the entire time. "Go f*** yourself! Go f*** yourself officer!" she says. "Why am I under arrest? Assault? I did not assault you, you grabbed me."
In a statement, Victoria Police confirmed the incident and said the woman was arrested because "she refused to provide identification for breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions" and then attacked their officers. "Police made the decision to arrest the woman after she failed to provide her name and address," a spokesman said. "She then became physically aggressive and kicked a female officer to the upper body. The woman continued to resist arrest and had to be taken to ground before being arrested."
The woman was eventually freed on bail and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date. Her arrest has been referred to the Professional Standards Command.