The wife of a police general apparently thought she was above the law and standard airport security procedures, but now she is facing the prospect of serious legal consequences after her assault on a security officer was caught on tape.
Yesterday, a video of an irate woman at Manado City’s Sam Ratulangi Airport went viral in Indonesia. The woman, clad in all black and wearing bug eye sunglasses (while indoors, mind you), looked extremely upset that she had been asked by airport security officers to take off her metal watch for the X-ray checkpoint, as is standard procedure. Instead of complying, she had to be held back by her daughter as she tried to fight a female officer before slapping said officer in the face.
It seemed like the behavior of a person used to getting away with things because of their position. But she’s not getting away with anything this time, as the incident was recorded and shared on Twitter by none other than Indonesia’s Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, who added a caption condemning the woman’s actions and arrogance:
Menyayangkan sikap arogansi kpd petugas Aviation Security di bandara Sam Ratulangi Manado. Saya sdh minta agar sgr lakukan upaya hukum.-BKS pic.twitter.com/Dfp3ouWAle
— Budi Karya Sumadi (@BudiKaryaS) July 5, 2017
Airport management firm PT Angkasa Pura I said the woman and her daughter were taken to a police station following the incident. As a result, they missed their morning flight from Manado to Jakarta but were reportedly allowed to get on a later flight.
According to local police, two reports were filed against the woman, one by the security officer who was slapped as seen in the video, and another by another officer who was hit in the arm, an incident which was not captured on film.
“There are two reports filed (against the woman). We will handle both reports in accordance with the law,” said North Sulawesi Police Spokesman Ibrahim Tompo, as quoted by Tempo yesterday.
The National Police have also gotten involved, confirming that the woman in the video, Joice Warouw, is the wife of a police general.
“Yes, that’s (the wife of) Brigadier General Sumampouw who’s assigned to the National Police,” said National Police spokesman Setyo Wasisto.
It’s not yet known what charges Joice will face, but Indonesian public officials, including Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, ensured that the case will be dealt with in accordance with the law regardless of her husband’s position.
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