Cannes security guard filmed during red carpet clashes with Kelly Rowland and actresses are being sued by model Sawa Pontyjska, who says she was ‘brutally’ stopped by the official

The Cannes red carpet security guard who was filmed clashing with Kelly Rowland and other attendees is being sued by a Ukrainian model, who claims she was ‘brutally’ stopped by the official.

Sawa Pontyjska says she has also filed a legal complaint against the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival over the alleged assault.

Pontyjska, presenter for FashionTV, explains BBC news she tried to go to the premiere of the French film Marcello Mio with a legitimate ticket when she was stopped.

This is the same premiere that Kelly Rowland was attending when she got into an argument with the staffer.

Documents posted by the model show that she has accused the staff of “physical abuse and psychological harm”, as well as damage to her reputation, and is seeking damages of 100,000 euros.

Pontyjska posted a video of the altercation to her TikTok page on May 21 and it has already been viewed more than 16 million times.

In the video, the model is seen at the top of the stairs to the Palais des Festivals as the infamous security guard wraps her arms around her.

A struggle ensues between the two as the staff member seemingly tries to lead her inside, but the model tries to escape her grasp.

Pontyjska pulled away and dropped to the ground before trying to walk away back down the stairs.

However, she was met by more guards and taken inside.

She told BBC News: ‘I tried to escape this lock. I went downstairs and started running away on the stairs because this was the way back (out).

‘She tried to push me inside so no one can see what she’s doing to me. Then she kicked me out the back door.”

The model added that she had a ticket just like everyone else and did nothing wrong.

She claims she has since tried to contact the organizers to request an apology but has yet to receive a response.

In her legal complaint, she says she was “severely challenged” in front of “thousands of people,” causing her “acute pain” and “psychological trauma.”

The now infamous security guard’s first viral encounter was with Rowland, who had attended the same premiere.

As Kelly walked up the famous stairs, she appeared to have a verbal dispute with a security guard after raising her arm to direct her into the venue.

Footage of the altercation shows an irate Kelly visibly swearing at the staff member as she raised her finger to warn the woman of the crowd present.

The security guard seemed to respond frantically to Kelly, who even turned to continue her tirade as she walked up the rest of the stairs.

Kelly has since spoken out about the incident, claiming there were other women who didn’t look like her who were treated differently and insisting she was simply sticking to her guns.

‘The woman knows what happened. I know what happened,” she said. ‘And I have a limit. And I stick to those boundaries and that’s it.’

“There were other women who attended that carpet who didn’t look exactly like me, and they weren’t yelled at, pushed away, or told to get off.”

Just days later, another ugly fight broke out involving the same staff member and Dominican actress Massiel Taveras.

The star was on the red carpet last weekend as he prepared to unfurl a huge dress with an image of Jesus on it, but appeared surprised when he was stopped by the security guard.

Footage of the altercation showed the actress being held back by the female security guard who extended her arm.

While other staffers helped lay down the dress as Taveras waved to fans, she became angry when the security guard posed her arm in front of her.

The two exchanged a few words on the red carpet as staff pulled the train up the stairs before Taveras took the end of another guard’s dress and threw it to the ground in frustration.

The female guard kept her arm close to Taveras as she guided her up the stairs, although it is unclear what caused the guard to follow her so closely.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Taveras – who had previously been crowned Miss Dominican Republic and competed in Miss Universe – struggled to unfurl the train of her dress.

This prompted her to curse at the guard when she tried to intervene, throwing her arms up in frustration.

After the dress was finally untied, Taveras waved to her fans, but the female security guard held her arm over the actress and appeared to push her towards the entrance.

The move prompted an angry response from Taveras as she pushed the guard away, before raising her finger and glaring at her.

Recently, the usher came under fire again for “disrespecting” Korean actress YoonA by blocking her red carpet photos.

The 33-year-old K-pop star turned actress was preparing to pose for photos on the iconic red stairs when she was stopped by the security guard.

Although the actress did not express her anger outwardly, her facial expression looked visibly irritated and uncomfortable as she was rushed down the stairs by the female employee.

The usher has not been publicly identified, but it is known that she is a local Frenchwoman with a short-term contract with the week-long festival.

Following the row with Kelly Rowland, colleagues of the security guard in the center of the Cannes spotlight urged DailyMail.com that she acted appropriately and was ‘just doing her job’.

“She was an usher who worked under a lot of pressure to keep people moving on the carpet to keep the crowds from building up,” said a veteran of the festival staff who has worked at the resort every May for 20 years.

“There was no pushing, shoving or swearing,” he said. ‘Safety and safety are the priorities, along with adhering to strict timescales set out in contracts – even celebrities have to adhere to the rules.

‘There are many ushers involved and they always act professionally and politely.

“In this case, the messenger was certainly only doing her job, she did nothing wrong.”

According to the BBC, festival organizers did not respond to requests for comment.