DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Dubai police say they have arrested a man who posted an Internet video of an Emirati beating a South Asian van driver after an apparent traffic altercation.

The arrest underscores the tightening controls on social media by authorities in the image-conscious United Arab Emirates. It also raises questions about whether pressure was greater because the local family was upset by the attention garnered by the YouTube video, which has since been blocked.

A message posted Thursday by police said the arrest was made because images of a potential crime were "shared."

The video, shot last week by a passer-by, shows the Emirati man slapping the driver and beating him with the rope-like band used to hold the traditional head coverings.

It was unclear whether charges were filed over the scuffle.