Cape Town - A video of a Mitchells Plain police officer manhandling a woman inside a police station has gone viral on social media.
And while many have slammed the officer for his rough treatment of the woman, top cops have come to his defence, saying the woman had resisted arrest.
The woman has since been charged with resisting arrest and crimen injuria.
Lentegeur Police Station commander, Colonel Elizabeth Hermanus, said the 23-year-old woman was accompanying her alleged gangster boyfriend.
“[She was with] her boyfriend, who is associated with the Dixie Boys gang, and he was arrested for possession of drugs,” said Hermanus.
In the 28-second video which was filmed on Saturday inside Lentegeur Police Station, an officer, Sergeant Jacques Smith, is seen grabbing the woman, wearing a white dress, and dragging her down a passage to the cells.
Hitting out at the cop, she screams: “Los my, jy, jy’t my gesê k**, jy’t my gevloek jy, wag.”
Another police officer, a young boy and three other men are also present.
Facebook user Codlyn Joubert posted the video on Facebook on Sunday at 9am.
By Tuesday morning, the video had more than 168 000 views and was shared 4317 times.
WARNING: Footage could be disturbing to sensitive readers.
Joubert, who went to report a smash-and-grab incident, claimed the cop swore at the woman, before he came out from behind the counter and dragged her.
She also claimed the boy was the woman’s son, and that he was crying during the standoff.
But police on Monday said Sergeant Smith took action after the woman swore at him when he told her her boyfriend would be arrested for drug possession.
Smith had earlier arrested the suspect at a known drug house in Morgen’s Village.
“When he and his team brought the suspect for detention, she came there with that group of guys you see in the video,” said the source.
“She carried on swearing and performing and after many times of him telling her to stop, she pointed in his face over the counter. That’s when he had to restrain and arrest her.”
Hermanus said: “The incident happened at 11pm on Saturday when a 23-year-old female was verbally abusive towards the police official.
“She has been charged with resisting arrest and crimen injuria. She was released on a warning. The matter is under investigation.”