Elderly woman arrested in Hong Kong for assaulting Indonesian maid in viral video

The 12-minute video quickly sparked outrage among netizens. The elderly woman in the video has been arrested for common assault and criminal intimidation of her Indonesian maid. PHOTOS: VIDEO SCREENGRABS

A 79-year-old woman has been arrested in Hong Kong after the authorities launched an investigation into a Facebook Live video of her berating and assaulting her Indonesian maid.

The 12-minute video, posted on the Time News International Facebook page on Wednesday night (Feb 28), quickly sparked outrage among netizens.

On Thursday, the elderly woman was arrested in Wong Tai Sin for common assault and criminal intimidation of her 35-year-old Indonesian maid, reported the South China Morning Post.

The video first shows the woman in the maid's bedroom scolding her in Cantonese for her poor work attitude.

When the maid denies this, their dispute soon escalates and the elderly woman grabs her by the neck and beats her repeatedly.

She is heard saying: "I really want to kill you. I'll die with you."

Fending off the attacks, the maid replies: "I won't."

The pair continue their heated exchange, with the maid at times retaliating in Bahasa Indonesia, which only appears to infuriate the elderly woman further.

She rains punches on the maid and pushes her onto the bed several times throughout the tirade. She also jabs her in the cheek and covers her mouth.

The video ends with the elderly woman threatening: "I would hack you to death if I don't have to be sent to jail."

Since it was posted online, the video has garnered more than 24,000 shares.

Several Facebook users wondered why the maid had allowed herself to be treated in this manner for so long, while others said that she should have called the police immediately, instead of taking a Facebook Live video.

There were also several others who cautioned against passing judgment on the pair before investigations are completed.

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