WATCH: This video of a 21-year-old waitress bodyslamming a man for groping her has set the internet alight

Caitlin McBride

A 21-year-old waitress who bodyslammed a man who groped her said she "didn't even know I could do that" until that exact moment.

It wasn't the first time she was groped - it's an unfortunate reality for most women in all walks of life - but it is the first time she reacted on a physical level in self defense.

Emelia Holden, from Savannah, Georgia, works in a pizzeria and CCTV footage of a man walking past her and grabbing her bum has gone viral. Immediately after, she pulls him by the back of his shirt and slams his to the ground and yells at him for touching her.

"I honestly didn’t even give it much thought," she told Inside Edition. "I just did it. I didn’t even know I could do that. I don’t care who you are. You have no right to disrespect me."

She went into more detail with PEOPLE magazine, saying: "I didn’t even think, I just reacted. I don’t know how I reacted the way I did. I’ve never done that before."

"I looked at him and I said, 'You don’t touch me, motherf***er."

She said customers gave her high fives after the incident.

The assailant Ryan Cherwinski (31) was charged with sexual battery after the incident and released on bond after three days.

Ms Holden said the video proved as sufficient evidence to arrest the man, explaining: "The guy claimed that he was just trying to push me out of the way and, 'Oh, I barely touched you.' Once the police saw the video, they immediately arrested him. There was no doubt that he did it."

"I’m glad that other women can see this and know that you can stand up for yourself," she added. "You also have the right to wear whatever you want without having to worry about being groped."

You can watch the footage below:

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