Professional cameraman Darrell Brown wrongly accused of being a ‘pervert’ for filming Christmas lights in Perth’s CBD

A freelance cinematographer has revealed how he was slammed to the ground in a “citizen’s arrest” and questioned by police after being wrongly accused of filming children in the Perth CBD. Darrell Brown has spent the past 30 years working as a freelance cinematographer. His work has featured on 60 Minutes and the Discovery Channel. On Monday night he was filming Christmas lights in the CBD for a client and for the City of Perth. But things quickly turned pear shaped when a woman started screaming and wrongly accusing the 55-year-old father of filming her children. Mr Brown posted on Facebook what about happened next. “She begins to call the police as I keep walking then yells to the crowd of people ahead of me to stop me. Next thing I know I'm face planted into the road in Murray Street with three guys on top of me, trying the wrench the camera out of my hands,” he said. Mr Brown said at the time he was filming he was wearing a high visibility vest with the word “media” written on the back. But he said the woman who was yelling was saying it was a “fake” vest. “I tell them that I'm a professional cameraman (sic) filming for a client and ask everyone just to relax,” Mr Brown explains. “One guy is pressing down so hard on my neck I can hardly breathe. The woman is screaming to everyone that I'm a pervert filming everyone's children. “I ask these guys if they could kindly let me up and that I was having trouble breathing. The guy won’t let me move until I let go of my rather expensive camera. I have no choice as my face is still rubbing on the road. “Finally they let me up and tell me (they’re) making a citizen’s arrest. I tell them that’s fine, but just be careful of my camera. “The woman is still screaming at me - calling me a pervert and telling the guys to drop me to the ground again. I just keep talking... suggesting we just wait quietly and let the police sort it out.” Mr Brown said a male and female police officer then arrived and they began questioning him about what he was doing. “The police question me and then decide to call in the CCTV cameras at head office to have a look at where I was and what I was filming,” he said. “I show them a shot list given to me by the client but apparently it has no signature. I show them a series of emails, but…still (they’re) not convinced. “Meanwhile, the male police officer is trying to access the footage on the camera to look back at it, but won’t let me show him how to do it. “Apparently he's worried I will delete the images of all the kids. Finally after about 15 minutes he lets me guide him to the footage, which of course all checks out. “Long story short they get (police) headquarters to do all the background checks on me and realise everything checks out...’He's OK...you can let him go’...I hear on the radio.” After being released Mr Brown said the female police officer asked him where he was allowed to film. “I tell her that I'm free to shoot in nearly all public places, it’s not a crime,” he said. Mr Brown said he was not angry at the woman who wrongly accused him. “I have no grudge against the woman, she's protecting her kids, but I do feel that we’re all being trained to look for the worst in each other,” he said. Police confirmed they were called to Pier Street and Murray Street about 8pm to deal with the incident. “Attending police questioned the man and reviewed both his credentials and the images, and no further police action was required,” a spokeswoman said, adding citizen arrest powers should be exercised with caution. “We accept that people sometimes make decisions on the spur of the moment and sometimes the decision to pursue or apprehend a suspect may be the right decision, dependent on the circumstances and their own physical capabilities,” she said. “However, we ask the public to always consider personal safety above all else.”