Melb Cup woman charged for shoving policeman
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A 25-year old Melbourne Cup-goer has been charged for inexplicably pushing over a policeman in a bizarre case of misbehaviour at Flemington on Tuesday.
The woman will face court on the charge of assaulting a police officer.
At 4.30pm, Acting Superintendent Steven Cooper had been about to brief media about the well-behaved crowd when the woman ran up to him and shoved him with both hands.
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Wearing a shot blue dress and high heels, the woman moved fast and managed to push the officer before he could avoid the attack.
“Very odd behaviour. She walked up to me and I thought, ‘What’s she doing, is she just come over say hello or something … Clearly not,” he told Channel 7.
Superintendent Cooper, who was on the phone at the time, fell backwards, landed in the bushes behind him.
Two of his fellow officers almost immediately took the woman into custody, who was laughing and appeared to make excuses for pushing the officer.
News cameras caught the entire incident on camera.
The woman later alleged that she was urged by members of the media to do the stunt.
“You guys forgot to mention that you told me to do it,” she posted on Channel 7’s Facebook page.
She was also pictured on Facebook straddling a police motorbike while holding four packets of chips. The photo was taken moments before shoving the policeman.
Sup. Cooper reportedly broke his reading glasses in the fall, but was otherwise uninjured.
“I’m certainly copping it from mates all over the world,” Supt Cooper told 3AW.
“The only thing injured was my pride.
“I don’t condone the behaviour, but I certainly see the funny side.”
The woman became the sixth reveller to be ejected from the event.
Three protestors were also evicted after trying to sneak onto the track for the biggest race of the day.
Others were evicted for anti-social behaviour.