December 12, 2013 - 3:11 PM
HAMILTON - Two Hamilton police officers are getting praise after a video of an arrest went viral.
The video — which was shot in Hamilton last Sunday — shows a male and female officer spending several minutes subduing and arresting a screaming woman.
At one point in the video — which has been viewed nearly 270,000 times on YouTube — the woman complains about being hurt as they try to handcuff her.
Once she was handcuffed and placed in the back of their cruiser, the male officer then calmly explained to a crowd of people exactly what he was doing and why.
Numerous commenters on YouTube praised the officers for the way they handled the situation, as did Hamilton police Chief Glenn De Caire in a statement on Thursday.
De Caire says his force has been overwhelmed by thousands of emails and the social media response they've received in support of the officers.
"I am impressed by the professionalism of our officers during this arrest and very proud," De Caire said.
"They maintained a calm response, using the appropriate use of force options during a stressful incident," he said.
The male officer — identified as Mark Morelli — told those who watched the arrest he was doing his best "not to hurt that girl."
"Unfortunately, she decided to try and resist while I was placing her under arrest," he said.
"While it may appear to be very rough to you, I apologize for you having to see that ... but I am obligated to arrest her," he said.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013