American woman arrested for slapping cop during restaurant meltdown

slapping cop
The incident unfolded after the woman was told she couldn’t pay for her meal by credit card. She ended up slapping a police officer. File photograph.

An American woman has been arrested for shouting and swearing at a policeman before slapping him at a restaurant in Las Piñas City.

Las Piñas City police chief Colonel Simnar Gran has identified the woman as Cheryl Hawkins Bautista, a resident of Bacoor City, Cavite.

ADVERTISEMENT

Base on the report submitted by Col. Gran to the Southern Police District, Bautista’s arrest followed a complaint from a food chain that a customer was creating trouble on Monday (August 12).

According to the owner of the eatery, the suspect said she was willing to pay for the food she had eaten with a female friend, but only with her credit card. However, the owner said her restaurant could not accept credit cards.

When police officers arrived at the scene, one of them approached Bautista to get her side of the story. However, apparently believing she was about to be arrested, she started shouting and swearing at him.

ADVERTISEMENT

Shouting and slapping

The incident was recorded by the establishment’s CCTV. According to the Manila Bulletin, the footage shows the policeman and the woman’s friend attempting to calm her down as she continued to shout at the policeman.

As she could not be pacified, the officer decided to arrest her. However, as he approached Batista to handcuff her, he received a slap in the face.

Later, at the police station, the suspect refused to co-operate with police and declined to give a statement.

ADVERTISEMENT

Col. Gran said it was likely that the woman was drunk at the time of the incident.

Charges of direct assault, disobedience to a person in authority, oral defamation and alarm and scandal have been filed against the suspect who remains behind bars at the detention facility of Las Piñas City police.

Facebook page for daily news updates