A 63-year-old Indigenous woman known as Aunty Beverley in her community was pushed to the ground during a Western Australia Police operation in Pegs Creek, Karratha, on Tuesday morning, September 8. According to news.com.au and the National Indigenous Times, Beverley Hubert was in her front garden when officers arrived to arrest a 33-year-old man, sparking community backlash, formal complaint plans, and court summonses for three women present at the scene.
Pegs Creek Arrest Footage Captures Police Confrontation
Video footage of the September 8 incident appears to show a young male officer telling Ms Hubert to “f**k off and get back” before shoving her backwards. The 63-year-old fell to the ground during the encounter. Other members of the group are seen rushing over to confront police in the video, while a woman identifying herself as Ms Hubert’s daughter tells officers that her mother is a dialysis patient. Police were subsequently seen deploying capsicum spray on the group. The video does not show what led up to Ms Hubert being pushed to the ground.
According to WA Police statements provided to news.com.au, officers arrested a 33-year-old Bulgarra man during the Pegs Creek operation. The individual faced multiple counts including property damage or destruction, unlawful damage, unauthorized driving, dangerous operation of a vehicle, hindering a police officer, and disorderly conduct within a police station or holding cell. Ms Hubert told the National Indigenous Times that police came to her home looking for her nephew, stating that officers told the occupants to step out of the car before grabbing her nephew and shoving him to the ground.
Charges Laid Against Family Members After Karratha Incident
Following the operation, three women present at the scene faced police charges. WA Police indicated that Ms Hubert was issued a summons to face a court hearing at a future date regarding an allegation of assaulting a public officer. A pair of additional women, aged 56 and 31, faced individual counts of hindering public officers and assaulting a public officer. The 33-year-old male and the two younger women were scheduled to appear before the Karratha Magistrates Court on September 9.
Ms Hubert stated that she was walking towards officers after becoming concerned over her nephew’s bleeding nose. When she attempted to confront officers, Ms Hubert said one officer pushed her, causing her to fall backwards and hit her head, stating, “He bent both his elbows back and shoved me.” While the 63-year-old disputed claims that she merely tripped and fell, WA Police reported that authorities dispatched an ambulance following her fall, though she refused medical treatment. One of the other women present at the address was taken to Karratha Health Campus for chest pains before she was assessed and released.
Community Response and Calls for Police Accountability
Community advocate Michael Rickards took to social media to express deep disturbance at the footage, calling for stronger cultural awareness training for police officers stationed in the region. According to Mr Rickards, police are meant to de-escalate situations and mediate outcomes, arguing that officers need to understand cultural values regarding elders speaking for and protecting younger generations. Ms Hubert stated that her family will be lodging a formal complaint, telling the National Indigenous Times, “We want to hold them accountable for doing things like that to elders.”
In response to the incident, WA Police told news.com.au that the force “utilises a range of less lethal tactical options to support officers in resolving incidents safely while minimising harm.” A police spokesperson stated that officers are trained to apply the minimum force necessary and to continually reassess and de-escalate where possible, adding that any use of force must be justified, proportionate, and necessary, and remains subject to mandatory reporting and review.
The incident follows another recent encounter in Karratha where a family reported a distressing interaction with police that was filmed and posted online. In that previous footage posted to Facebook, police are seen restraining a man on the ground while family members watch, with an officer appearing to hit the man in the head before climbing on top of him.