A police officer accused of choking an unmasked woman in a dramatic Melbourne arrest that went viral on social media has been cleared.
A 21-year-old woman from St Kilda became involved in an altercation on August 12 after officers spotted her not wearing a mask in Collingwood.
As seen in the video above, a male officer can be seen placing his hands around the woman’s neck during the arrest.
“He’s choking me. He’s choking me. Get off of me. Get off,” the woman yells.
The woman then lashed out at a female officer, kicking her in the chest, before being taken to the ground.
“Tell me what the f*** I’ve done?” the woman asks.
As she was led away to a police van, a male filming the arrest said: “She’s got a note from the doctor. Youse are f***ed”.
Victoria Police later confirmed she had an exemption for disobeying coronavirus health requirements to wear a mask, having earlier refused to provide her name and address.
She was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police and bailed to face court at a later date.
The arrest was referred to Victoria Police’s professional standards command for oversight, and a spokeswoman confirmed that it had been debriefed internally.
“No further action will be taken,” a statement said on Monday.
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