Emelia Holden, a 21-year-old waitress at a pizzeria in downtown Savannah, Georgia, has left women across the globe feeling empowered after she threw a man to the ground for touching her inappropriately.
The incident took place last month at Vinnie Van Go-Go's.
Holden was finishing up her shift when 31-year-old Ryan Cherwinski of Palm Bay, Florida, allegedly walked past her and placed his hand on her buttocks, The Sun-Sentinel reported.
Surveillance footage of the incident appears to show Holden grab Cherwinski by his shirt and slam him into a wall. As he sinks to the ground she scolds him.
She then told staff to call the police and, while admitting she was afraid that they would let Cherwinski go, she was relieved when they arrested him after seeing the surveillance footage, The New York Times said.
"To see them put him in handcuffs, it was nice," Holden told Inside Edition.
Cherwinski was charged with sexual battery and spent two nights behind bars before being released on a bond of $2,500, The Sun Sentinel said.
Meanwhile, the video ended up on the front page on Reddit last week and has since been widely shared across social media platforms.
The ordeal has prompted other women to reach out to Holden, she told The New York Times.
"My whole thing is respect," she said of her reaction. "As long as you respect me, I'm going to respect you."
She recalled how Cherwinski, who was reportedly dining with his wife the night of the incident, insisted he had touched her to move her out the way — a story which he has maintained.
"I'm just happy that he was held accountable," she said. "And I'm very happy that there have been so many women empowered by all of this."
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