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Waitress tackles customer who gropes her bottom in Georgia restaurant

The man was immediately arrested by police 

Chelsea Ritschel
in New York
Thursday 19 July 2018 19:27 BST
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CCTV footage shows waitress throwing man to floor after being groped

A waitress took matters into her own hands after a customer groped her - by immediately grabbing him from behind and tackling him to the floor.

Emelia Holden, 21, was working at Vinnie Van Go-Go’s in Savannah, Georgia, when a man reached out and touched her bottom as he walked past.

In the CCTV footage of the incident, Holden can be seen responding by grabbing the man by the shirt and throwing him against the wall, before yelling at him as he sprawls on the floor.

Police called to the scene immediately arrested the offender after viewing the CCTV footage and he was forced to spend two nights in a cell - a punishment that Holden said he “deserved.”

“I just did what I felt was best,” she recalled. “I took the guy down and had my co-workers call the police.

Holden wants other women to feel comfortable doing the same if they are ever in a similar situation in the workplace.

“All that I want from my experiences is for women to know that it’s okay to stand up for yourself,” she said, before continuing: “You have every right to wear what you want and you most certainly have every right to defend yourself.”

The man groped Holden while she was at work

On social media, people are praising the 21-year-old for her response.

“Got what he deserved! Well done lady!” one person said.

Another defended Holden, stating: “If someone invades your personal space, violates your body or makes any advance towards you that is unwelcome, you have every right to defend yourself! Sometimes you have to be your own hero.”

Holden stood over the man as co-workers called police

Sexual harassment in the workplace affects over half of UK women, according to a study conducted by the Everyday Sexism Project and the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

In the report, titled “Still Just a Bit of Banter?” it was revealed that 52 per cent of 1,500 women surveyed had been victims of unwanted sexual behaviour at work, from groping to inappropriate jokes.

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