Wild footage captured the moment police punch and kneel on a man after he allegedly punched an officer in the face during a dramatic arrest.
Victoria Police allege the 37-year-old man had been carrying out acts of vandalism in Melbourne before catching up with him in Broadmeadows, in the city’s north, on Tuesday.
During the arrest, one officer is seen repeatedly punching the shirtless man while another kneels on his neck in an attempt to subdue him.
Police have defended the officers’ actions, saying the man allegedly punched an officer in the face and forcefully resisted arrest before being sprayed with pepper spray.
The officer was not seriously injured and was treated at the scene.
The man, from the outer north-west suburb of Gladstone Park, has been charged with assault-related offences.
The man was alleged to have been on an early morning rampage in nearby suburbs, hitting several poker machines at a licensed location in Airport West around 10 a.m.
Police allege he then threw a stone at the screen of another gaming machine at a location on Mickleham Road, in Gladstone Park, before fleeing on foot.
An officer knelt on the man’s neck several times during the dramatic arrest (pictured)
In the images, a female officer is seen hitting the shirtless man several times (pictured).
Police say the man arrived at Broadmeadows police station at 11.45am, where he threw a stone at a marked police car, breaking its windscreen.
He then ran down the street to Broadmeadows Square, where he was arrested.
The man was remanded to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on Wednesday.