'She's a lady, you know': Man shouts at police officers for handcuffing woman, gets slammed online

He may have thought he was coming to the aid of a damsel in distress, but one man's attempt at defending a woman who was being arrested has earned him online brickbats instead.

The 43-year-old woman was arrested at 53 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 on Dec 14 under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act, police confirmed.

But a five-minute clip of the arrest shared on Facebook had netizens talking for a different reason.

The video showed two police officers attempting to restrain the struggling woman while a man shouted at them: "Eh hello, she is a lady, you know."

As more officers arrived on the scene, the man walked up to the group of them, yelling, "Don't use force. She is a lady."

"If it was a female officer, then it's fine. But you guys are men," he added in Malay.

An unidentified woman backed the man up, telling the officers, "You cannot touch the woman."

Meanwhile, the woman being restrained yelled in Chinese that the police were "hitting people" and called for help.

As the officers ushered the woman away, the man gave chase, asking one of them for his name.

The man was shown sans face mask at multiple points in the video.

As the video circulated online, criticism against the man's actions mounted, with many suggesting that he should have been arrested as well for interfering with the police officers' duties.

In response to media queries, the police said that they had responded to a call for assistance in relation to the woman, who had allegedly been "creating trouble" in the area.

She was "uncooperative" and "started shouting incoherently" when officers attempted to engage her, the police said.

"She also behaved in an erratic and aggressive manner near the road junction. For her safety and the safety of other road users, officers proceeded to restrain her and bring her to safety. Female police officers subsequently arrived at the scene to assist."

"Police officers have a duty to protect lives and property as well as to maintain peace and order. Male officers are allowed to apprehend women in the execution of their duties, without a female officer present," they also clarified.

No injuries were reported.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com

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