Charges dropped against man who captured Dubai road rage attack on YouTube

Dubai's public prosecution drops charges against a government employee who was filmed beating an Indian driver and the man who uploaded it to YouTube.

This clip from the YouTube video appears to show the man beating the Asian driver.

DUBAI // All charges have been dropped in a controversial road-rage incident that caused an internet sensation.

Video footage showed an Emirati in a kandura repeatedly beating an Indian driver with his agal and punching him after a road accident, until another man stepped in to stop the attack.

The video went viral shortly after being uploaded to YouTube two weeks ago.

Prosecutors charged an Emirati with assault and the Indian man, 22, who uploaded the video, with defamation.

However, the victim of the alleged assault and the Emirati said to have been defamed have each waived their rights to pursue the case and prosecutors said yesterday it was now closed.

Both men charged have been released from custody, although the Emirati has been dismissed from his job because of the incident.

Investigating authorities had acted to “preserve each party’s rights”, the Dubai’s attorney general Essam Al Humaidan said yesterday.

He said the video depicted individual behaviour that should not be assumed to be common in Emirati society, and it was important for individuals to be aware of the damage their behaviour may do to others’ reputations.

Mr Al Humaidan also said members of the public with evidence of a criminal act should follow the correct channels and hand it to police, rather than publish it themselves.