A mother visiting Altona Beach with her children has been violently arrested by Victorian Police for allegedly failing to wear a mask and refusing to provide officers with her personal details.
Officers patrolling the beach approached the woman and her group on Saturday evening for failing to wear face masks, which are mandatory in Melbourne.
During a heated exchange with the police, the woman was reportedly tackled to the ground and arrested by several officers.
The arrest was captured on video and uploaded to social media where the footage soon after went viral across multiple platforms.
The video begins with multiple officers pinning the woman to the ground as she’s placed in handcuffs. The group with the woman are then heard accusing officers of shoving the woman’s heavily pregnant sister.
Towards the end of the video, the arrested woman appears to be bleeding on the sand as officers lift her to her feet and escort her away.
The woman was taken into custody and issued with three infringement notices. Several other people with her also received fines.
A Victorian Police spokesman told the Daily Mail that the woman was arrested for failing to provide her details and once her identity was established, she was found to have travelled more than 5km from her home, in breach of the Chief Health Officer’s directions.
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Meanwhile, in Melbourne…
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) October 4, 2020
Mum arrested at Altona beach for not wearing a mask & failing to give her name to police.
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