It's a picture that has captured many South Africans' attention.

A police office runs in the road between two law enforcement vehicles while a blonde woman — with her fluffy white dog on a lead — appears to try to run away.

The picture was taken on Easter Sunday in Three Anchor Bay, Cape Town, at about 10.15am.

The woman who took the image and posted it on her Instagram account, freelance copy writer Candice Botha, said she and her fiancé heard a commotion outside their window.

“We went to the window to check if everything was OK.

“Three cop cars had pulled over with at least seven cops following a lady that was walking her dog. When we looked out, she was trying to walk away from them, saying something along the lines of 'she lives right there and she's just going to go home'.

“I think she was frightened by the number of police, and in her panic, she repeatedly tried to get away from them. One policewoman grabbed her shirt as she was trying to run away,” said Botha.

She said about half a dozen officers surrounded the woman and were trying to talk to her.

“She sat down on the ground and didn't want to co-operate. Finally, she ran down the alleyway out of our line of sight and was followed by police on foot and in a van.

“We never saw the arrest, but after a few minutes, a police van came back about the corner with her sitting in the back,” said Botha.