Victoria Police has launched an investigation into the arrest of a Melbourne woman at the centre of shocking footage showing her being put in an apparent chokehold and pinned to the ground by an officer.
A series of videos that filmed the interaction from different angles show the 21-year-old from St Kilda repeatedly shouting “he’s choking me” while an officer’s gloved hands appear to be around her throat.
The woman, who is not wearing a face mask, is slammed against a brick wall, then pushed down onto the footpath and held down by a male officer for several minutes.
According to Victoria Police, she was being arrested for failing to provide her name and address.
In a statement, they noted that the woman did not tell the officers 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 statement from Victoria Police read.
“The woman continued to resist arrest and had to be taken to ground before being arrested.”
The woman was taken to the station and charged with assaulting police and resisting arrest.
The arrest, however, has been referred to the Professional Standards Command for investigation.
Meanwhile, the woman was not fined for failing to wear a face covering because she told police after her arrest she had an exemption.
She was bailed to appear at court at a later date.
