Police bodycam shows US woman's dramatic beach arrest

Bodycam footage showing the controversial arrest of a woman on an American beach has been released by police chiefs.

Footage of the arrest showing a New Jersey police officer harshly handling the bikini-clad woman last weekend has gone viral. Images showed one officer striking her head twice as she was subdued on the sand.

The bodycam video reveals tensions escalating between officers and Emily Weinman, 20, after she took a breathalyser test that she appeared to pass.

When Weinman refused to give police her surname she walked away from them.

One officer is then heard telling her: “You’re about to get dropped” moments before the physical altercation.

Wildwood Police Department has placed the officers involved on administrative duties and started an investigation.

The department said on its Facebook page that 20-year-old Emily Weinman, of Philadelphia, faces several charges, including two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.