Man arrested after viral video shows him punching woman in the face

A man who attacked a woman in Paris in broad daylight has been arrested after CCTV footage of the incident went viral.

The incident happened back in July when Marie Laguerre was on her way home. She passed a man on the street who spew lewd remarks in her direction.

Laguerre explains that it was a long day and not her first encounter of that kind. She was tired of men making demands on her body and simply told him to "shut up."

He retaliated violently. Laguerre, 22, has since shared footage of the incident on social media, and the video can be seen below.

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The 25-year-old unnamed assailant threw an ashtray in her direction before punching her in the face and casually walking off again.

Patrons sitting outside a local cafe jumped into action and chased after the man. Laguerre thanked them in her Facebook post for coming to her aid.

The man has not been charged as yet and magistrates must decide if a formal investigation for sexual violence will be conducted.

Laguerre's assailant was a psychiatric patient at a Parisian hospital. She said on Facebook:

"This is unacceptable behavior. It happens every day, everywhere, and I don't know a single woman who doesn't have a similar story."

Like so many other women, Laguerre is calling for stricter legislation when it comes to sexual violence. She added:

"I am sick of feeling unsafe walking in the street. Things need to change, and they need to change now."

A survey carried out among 27,000 respondents two years ago found that approximately 20% of women interviewed received "wolf whistles."

A further 8% had been assaulted, and approximately 3% were followed. Incidents like these continuously make headlines.

Earlier this month, a mother handed her son over to authorities after he punched a woman at a nightclub. Read the detailed account here.