Shocking video has emerged of a violent altercation outside a country pub, forcing police officers to respond to allegations they Tasered a man for no reason.
Victoria Police officers have been accused of using unnecessary and excessive force outside a pub in Yea, 112 kilometers northeast of Melbourne, shortly after 10pm on Friday.
Footage captured by a witness appears to show one officer shooting a seated man with a Taser while another used a baton on an unresisting man.
“They just Tasered him… that’s fucking unnecessary,” the witness says in the video.
However, a spokeswoman said police were able to confirm that a Taser was not used during the altercation after a review of body camera footage.
It is understood the officer activated the Taser while warning the man to follow his instructions, making the distinctive Taser noise heard in the footage.
In another clip, another officer is seen shooting a second man with his baton.
Witness Charlie Hill said the officer hit the man “three times in the ribs.”
“And I was disappointed with the first one and it just wasn’t right,” he told 7News.
Here, a police officer is about to hit a man with a baton outside a pub in Yea, Victoria.
It is understood that a publican called police after a hostile group allegedly refused to leave the premises after being asked about 10pm on Friday.
A police spokeswoman said the officers had allegedly been attacked before the witness began recording.
“The first police officers to arrive at the scene were outnumbered, faced with a very dynamic scene and had to deploy OC spray to separate those involved in the fight,” police said in a statement.
‘While police attempted to provide aftercare, one of the men involved allegedly attempted to assault one of the officers by kicking and punching him.
“As police attempted to subdue that man, a woman allegedly jumped on the back of a police officer while the second man attempted to grab the officer’s firearm.
“OC spray was applied again and all three were taken into custody.”
But witnesses said the response was difficult to watch, with one viewer telling 7News that it “seemed very aggressive, especially for a small town.”
“Nothing really violent like that happens. I think they took it too far,’ they said.
Another witness claimed that an officer had put his knee on a woman’s neck.
“He’s not well, he even said it was difficult for him to breathe,” they said.
A witness filming the altercation, which occurred after a group allegedly refused to leave a pub, is heard on the video saying: “They’re going to Taser him… that’s so unnecessary” (in the photo). photo).
Police said they had charged two men and a woman following the incident in Yea.
A Taggerty man, 29, and a Yea woman, 27, have been charged with assaulting a police officer and refusing to leave licensed premises.
A 26-year-old Glenburn man has been charged with affray.
All three have been released on bail and are due to appear at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court in September.
On Saturday, Victoria Police released a statement confirming they are reviewing body camera footage and will speak to one of the officers involved.
“Victoria Police have been made aware of footage showing the conduct of an officer in the latter stages of this incident,” it said.
“The matter has been referred to the Professional Standards Command for review.”