Man slaps human rights lawyer over seating dispute, video goes viral

A shocking footage has gone viral on social media showing an irate man slapping a woman for not giving up her seat.

The appalling incident reportedly occurred at an airport terminal in Colombia.

The viral video on the internet shows a man having a dialogue with a woman and suddenly striking her hand before slapping her in the face.

According to news(dot)com(dot)au, the woman identified as Claudia Segura is a human rights defence lawyer and she was working on her laptop waiting for her flight at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota on Sunday.

She was approached by the man, later identified as Hector Santacruz, as the video shows, the man said, “Get up or I’ll get you up,” before striking her across the left side of her face with his phone in his hand.

Visibly shocked by the incident, passengers stood up to defend Claudia and pushed him away. The video shows people yelling at the man for his appalling behavior.

Santacruz was escorted out of the terminal in handcuffs by an airport police officer. Segura has filed a criminal complaint against Santacruz.

In an interview with El Tempo! Segura explained, “Everything was packed when I entered the terminal, except an empty chair. The chair didn’t have anything on it to indicate that it was occupied.”

“When I sat there, Santacruz’s wife told me that it was occupied but I countered her by telling it was not,” Claudia continued.

She added that the man knocked my phone out of my hand and walloped me in the face, adding that the force of the blow knocked her earrings off.

Her lawyer, Maite Bayona, said, “My client has suffered soft tissue trauma and several other factors have been diagnosed as well,” adding that her client might also need psychological therapy.

Santacruz’s wife Karen posted an apology video on social media and said, “The incident really hurts me as a woman and a mother. It goes against everything I stand for.”

Karen said she does not condone or approve of her husband’s behavior, adding, “I reject it from the bottom of my heart because I believe in dignity, boundaries and respect.”