The woman at the centre of a dramatic arrest in Melbourne was the victim of police heavy-handedness, her boyfriend claims, as she admits giving officers the finger when asked why she wasn’t wearing a face mask.
The 21-year-old, from St Kilda, became involved in a violent altercation after police approached her in the inner-city suburb of Collingwood at about 5pm on Monday.
Video showed a male officer placing his hands around the woman’s neck during the arrest as she screamed: ‘He’s choking me. He’s choking me. Get off of me. Get off.’
She then lashed out at a female officer, kicked her in the chest, before being taken to the ground and demanding to know ‘what the f*** I’ve done’.
As she was led away to a police van, her boyfriend, who was filming the arrest, said: ‘She’s got a note from the doctor. Youse are f***ed’.
The woman told 7News she gave two police officers the finger when they questioned why she wasn’t wearing a mask.
The boyfriend (pictured) of a woman at the centre of a dramatic arrest in Melbourne has accused police of heavy-handedness
Disturbing footage shows a woman being choked by a police officer in Melbourne
But her boyfriend blasted the arresting officers and claimed their response was excessive.
‘The way that they came up to us all intimidating is itself enough. They’re meant to make us feel protected, right? We don’t feel protected,’ he said.
‘When they’re just looking for a fight and just looking to fine people and just looking to be bullies, that’s not lawful.’
Police allege the woman refused to provide her name and address. She has been charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police.
The woman (pictured) admitted she gave police the finger when asked why she wasn’t wearing a mask
Thhis video, which was captured by an onlooker in an apartment building in Melbourne, begins with the male officer speaking to the red headed girl in baggy jeans (pictured, left and right)
‘Police made the decision to arrest the woman after she failed to provide her name and address,’ a Victoria Police spokesman said.
‘She also did not state she had an exemption for not wearing a face covering. 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 female officer was transported to hospital for observation.’
The woman did not receive a fine for failing to wear a face mask ‘because she later told police she had an exemption’, police said.
The arrest has been referred to Victoria Police’s professional standards command.
How the confrontation unfolded:
A male police officer approaches a woman who is seen without a face mask in Melbourne
The pair argue for a moment before the officer grabs the woman by her arm
The woman resists and a struggle ensues
The woman grabs the officers vest before the officer places his hands around her neck
The boyfriend, in the purple scarf, yells for the officer to get off her, saying she has an excuse for not wearing a mask. ‘She went to the doctor yesterday,’ he says
The pair continue to struggle with the woman screaming for him ‘to get the f*** off’
The officer pushes the woman against the wall as a female police officer approaches
The woman punches the male officer and kicks the female officer
Police officer pulls the woman to the ground in an attempt to arrest her
He then sits on her and she questions what she is being arrested for
A friend then starts filming the arrest, telling the officer the woman has an exemption for wearing a mask
More police officers appear before she is arrested and charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer
Meanwhile on Tuesday, a 58-year-old woman was arrested at Frankston for allegedly assaulting a police officer after not wearing a mask at a cafe.
The incidents come as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, legal and human rights bodies call for the Victorian government to guarantee new police powers are properly scrutinised.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the group said the wide-ranging powers for police under Premier Daniel Andrew’s ‘state of disaster’ declaration must be complemented by an independent watchdog to ensure accountability.
‘We don’t want increased police powers to become the new normal – the powers must end as soon as the pandemic does,’ Human Rights Law Centre senior lawyer Monique Hurley said in the statement.
The boyfriend of the young woman (pictured) accused police of heavy-handedness
The woman (pictured) admitted to giving police the middle finger when they asked her why she wasn’t wearing a face mask
It pointed to a parliamentary committee’s interim report, released last Tuesday, that showed Victoria’s three poorest communities accounted for 10 per cent of COVID-19 fines over the first two months of restrictions.
That figure stands in stark contrast to the state’s three most advantaged local government areas which copped 1.9 per cent of fines over the same period, raising concerns communities aren’t being policed fairly.
Another 202 fines were dished out in the previous 24 hours from 4529 spot checks, police said on Tuesday.
They include 70 fines of $1652 for breaching Melbourne’s 8pm-5am curfew and 33 fines of $200 for failing to wear a face mask.
A man told police he was practising to become a DJ when discovered in someone else’s home.
Another found in his car at a Maribyrnong car park said he wanted some peace and quiet as his housemate was being ‘too loud in the bedroom’ with their partner.
The St Kilda woman wasn’t fined for not wearing a mask but was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police and bailed to face court at a later date