Police in Guangdong province confirmed on Wednesday that they have detained a woman captured on camera riding a motorized scooter over a child's legs.

The woman, identified only as Chen, 29, was taken into custody on Tuesday and has confessed to assault against a 6-year-old girl, according to a statement from Yangjiang city's public security bureau.

A police officer said that during interviews Chen had said she intended only to frighten the child, as she was "being naughty by laying on the ground and refusing to go home for dinner".

The girl was taken to hospital where doctors found injuries to both legs, the statement said.

Police launched an investigation after a video began to circulate online on Tuesday that showed a woman on a scooter riding over a girl's legs. The child was also seen being dragged along the ground by another child.

The incident took place in Yangjiang's Fuyuannan Road at about 2 pm.

Liang Jinhai, the city's vice-mayor and director of public security, gave the order for a task force to investigate the case, which led to Chen’s detention a day later.

According to the statement on Wednesday, Chen has phoned the child's father, identified as Ye, to apologize and is actively cooperating with police.

Police said Chen and the injured child's grandfather, 50, have lived together since 2014. They have a son together, age 2. Chen also has a 6-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

The victim was placed in the couple's care in April 2016 when Ye moved away for work in another city. Her mother had left after divorcing her father and has since remarried.

Ye has now returned home to look after his daughter, police said.