Family’s outrage after police use pepper spray and batons on teens in Cronulla brawl

A police officer involved in a violent brawl in Cronulla last night has been accused of excessive violence by a family whose two teenage sons were also there.

The fight broke out after a plain-clothed detective attempted to detain a boy involved in a fight in Cronulla mall.

Footage shows the officer appearing to physically restrain one of the individuals with other teens attempting to separate the pair.

The struggle grows more violent before other officers intervene.

NSW Police say the female police officer was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground.

Backup officers pepper-sprayed the crowd and used batons to bring the brawl under control.

Six of the people allegedly involved were arrested.

Brothers Filipo and Terrence Faaoloii were in the middle of the fight.

Terrence said he had been pepper-sprayed twice without warning.

Filipo said he had spent the night in hospital getting x-rays on his hip after being released by police.

Mother Rebecca Lavauney said her sons were innocent.

“They haven’t been charged with anything because they didn’t do anything,” she said.

“So I don’t understand how they can justify beating my 15-year-old with a baton.”

Their teenage cousins, Elizabeth and Angel, say the detective did not identify herself as a police officer and was immediately aggressive.

The Detective Senior Constable spent the night at St George Hospital.

It was initially thought she had a broken cheek bone.

Police are still investigating the causes of the brawl.

Of the six teen arrested, four have been charged, two with assaulting police.