Waitress Body Slams Customer Who Groped Her And It's Captured On Tape

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Waitress Body Slams Customer Who Groped Her And It's Captured On Tape

Emelia Holden/Facebook, YouTube

In today's day and age, people should be aware of how they treat their fellow man (and woman) and act accordingly.

But, despite the popularity of the #MeToo movement, not everyone has shown the common decency to be respectful to those around them, and continues on with their inappropriate behavior.

One man who had no regard to boundaries is 31-year-old Ryan Cherwinski, who on June 30 groped a waitress as he walked past her in Vinnie Van Go-Go's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia.

But, waitress Emelia Holden wasn't having any Cherwinski's unwarranted behavior, and immediately grabbed him by the collar and forcefully slammed him into the counter.

"I looked at him and I said, 'You don't touch me, motherf"”"“!'" Holden said in an interview with PEOPLE. "I didn't even think, I just reacted. I don't know how I reacted the way I did. I've never done that before."

Holden said she had just finished taking an order when Cherwinski, who she never met before, came up behind her.

"When I felt that happen, my first thought was that it was one of my friends ... it was a really intimate touch," the 21-year-old explained. "His hand went further than it should have so I was thinking, 'There's no way a stranger just did that.'"

After the incident, Holden asked her co-workers to phone the police. After authorities viewed the surveillance video, Cherwinski was arrested, charged with sexual battery, and spent two days in jail.

"The guy claimed that he was just trying to push me out of the way and, 'Oh, I barely touched you,'" Holden said. "Once the police saw the video, they immediately arrested him. There was no doubt that he did it."

The waitress added that she's "very fortunate" to work in an establishment that supports women.

"I'm also very fortunate to work at a restaurant where I get a phone call like, "˜oh, that was awesome' from the owner instead of being like, 'oh, well he's the customer. Don't put your hands on people like that,'" she told WSFA.

"It's the other way around. Don't put your hands on me. You don't touch me, I don't touch you," she continued.

While Holden said it was an unfortunate incident, she's glad she's been able to send a positive message to the public.

"I'm not glad that it happened, but I'm glad that it's had such a positive outcome," Holden said, adding that she's received countless supportive messages on Facebook.

"I'm glad that other women can see this and know that you can stand up for yourself. You also have the right to wear whatever you want without having to worry about being groped," Holden continued. "It's nice to know that I have empowered other women."

Check out the take down for yourself:

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[H/T: PEOPLE, WSFA]

Maya has been working at Shared for a year. She just begrudgingly spent $200 on a gym membership. Contact her at maya@shared.com