By Brendan Rees
Police were forced to smash the window of woman’s car after she refused to give her details at a roadblock in Cranbourne on Saturday night 1 August.
The 48-year-old woman was dramatically arrested after she refused to speak to police officers, who had set up an operation on Smethurst Street at 6.30pm.
“The woman was requested multiple times to provide her licence and details as required under the Road Safety Act but refused,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
According to the spokeswoman, police were forced to smash the window of the vehicle to arrest the Boronia woman at the vehicle intercept point.
A video online showed the woman shouting “Excuse me, this is unlawful” as officers placed her in the back of a police vehicle.
A police officer responded: ‘No, it’s not’.
The spokeswoman said the woman was expected to be charged on summons with hinder police, refuse to state name and address and refuse an alcohol and drug test and will receive an infringement for breach of Chief Health Officer’s (CHO) directions.
Victoria Police said police had conducted an operation outside a business in Cranbourne following information of a planned gathering breaching CHO directions on 1 August. It’s not known whether the woman was attending the planned gathering.
It comes after a group of coronavirus sceptics gathered at the Combat Athlete gym on Smethurst Street on Sunday 26 July, which drew widespread criticism.
One attendee, who Star News has chosen not to name, posted a photo of the gathering showing about 50 people sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with no apparent effort to practice social distancing or wearing masks,
The attendee then took to Facebook the following day after the woman’s arrest following claims the Combat Athlete gym was holding another gathering.
“We didn’t even have a meeting last night!!!” he wrote.
“Complete lies and deceitful works of the lying media. I will post photos from my gym security cameras in the comments.”
Meanwhile, Police Minister Lisa Neville said police continued to see “appalling behaviour” from those flouting stay-at-home rules.
“There’s absolutely no reason or need to drive from Melbourne to Ballarat for fresh air. There’s absolutely no reason to drive from Werribee out to Springvale to buy groceries,” she said.
Victoria Police issued 172 fines to individuals for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions in the 24 hours to Monday 3 August.
Of these 27 were for failing to wear a face covering while 22 infringements were issued at vehicle checkpoints.
Breaches included:
A Keilor man who was intercepted by police in the Surf Coast and admitted he had travelled there on Friday to stay at his holiday home.
A Sunshine man who was found in Melbourne playing Pokémon Go.
A woman at Southern Cross Station attempted to travel to Bendigo.
Two men who were located at a fast food outlet in Hobsons Bay who stated they had come from a friend’s house in Altona where they stayed overnight.
A group of people who celebrated a birthday at a short-term rental in Point Cook.
