Dubai: A woman who had a dispute with a hotel valet parking employee, and drove off with him sitting on her car’s bonnet, will be charged with endangering the man’s life.
Brigadier Abdullah Khadim, director of Bur Dubai Police Station, said that police questioned the man and woman — both Arab nationals — and will charge them both with endangering one another’s lives.
“We questioned the driver, who endangered the life of the man and drove her car off while he sat on the bonnet. The man was also charged with endangering the life of the woman and damaging property,” Brigadier Khadim said.
In the video, which went viral after it was circulated on social media on Tuesday, the valet parking worker is seen sitting on the car’s bonnet as the woman motorist drives away.
Eventually, the driver forces the valet worker to jump off the car.
Dubai Police said the footage captured a dispute between the valet worker and the female driver who refused to pay the parking fee.
The worker said that she presented a parking ticket for another car, while the woman claimed that she paid the fee and gave him the correct parking ticket.
“Both were in the wrong. The man shouldn’t have stood in front of the car and sat on it in a reckless way and the woman shouldn’t have moved the car while he was on sitting on the bonnet,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dubai Police have arrested the man who recorded the incident that took place at an intersection on Jumeirah Road.
The man was also detained for posting and sharing the video on social networking sites, which went viral in the UAE.
Colonel Faisal Al Qasim, Director of Security Media at Dubai Police, said recording people without their knowledge and publishing their images on social media or websites is a criminal offence in the UAE.
According to Article 21 of the UAE Cybercrime law, any person who misuses technology to breach the privacy of others can be sentenced to jail for six months and/or a fine ranging from Dh150,000 to Dh500,000.
Under Article 21 of the Federal Decree, Law No. (5) of 2012 for cybercrime, a person will be held liable for breach of privacy if they eavesdrop, copy or email any type of information or scenes, or disclose and publish any data online regardless whether it is true or not.
Col. Al Qasim called on members of the public to report any incident, crime or dispute to the authority by calling the non-emergency number 901 or through the Police Eye service, which can be found on the Dubai Police app or Dubai Police website.
Residents were also warned not to take photographs or videos of others, as Col. Al Qasim explained that “people should never send videos to relatives or friends, even if it is in good faith, so as not to be held legally accountable”.
“Trading videos or pictures can harm others and damage their reputation,” said Col. Al Qasim, adding that such types of irresponsible behaviour contradicts the customs and traditions of Emirati society.
