A 45-year-old tradie has been charged with aggravated assault after horrific footage emerged of Indigenous children apparently being tied up with cable ties in a front yard.

The incident that allegedly involved a Broome man and three children outside a home in Cable Beach was live-streamed on social media on Tuesday.

Western Australian Police were called to a home in Conkerberry Road after reports of trespassing. Officers found a six-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy physically restrained.

Footage of the incident appears to show two young Indigenous kids being detained by a man in a driveway, their wrists bound with cable ties. A low-resolution photo that is also circulating identifies three children in similar restraints.

Officers at the home requested medical assistance and the two youngsters were assessed by paramedics before being reunited with family.

An Indigenous women, reported to be a relative of one of the children, live-streamed on Facebook the moment she confronted the man.

“We were telling the man to cut the cable ties off their wrist and just wait for the police … but he just didn’t want them to let go,” Asharahni Lilwayno told The West Australian.

Lilwayno said she was pushed away by the man when she tried to rescue the children. One of the children eventually freed himself.

“When we pulled up there, and when that man was pushing me out of the gate… the little [eight-year-old] boy snapped the cable ties with his hands and then he just jumped over the fence and ran down the road,” she said.

“It was just upsetting, we were so angry with him, just shouting at him, telling him to let them go. But he just didn’t want to listen to us.”

Police later identified the third child as an eight-year-old boy.

WA Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones said she was appalled at the viral footage.

“It would appear these are very young and small children. They appear to be quite frightened in the circumstances. He is quite a large man. And they appear to be very nervous,” she told ABC Radio Perth.

She said anyone judging the actions of the children should be cautious, because they were so young.

“These children are only six and seven. They don’t have the neurodevelopment to understand cause and effect and consequences and actions. And that is legally known,” she said.

WA Greens senator Dorinda Cox said the footage was disturbing and confronting.

“We can never be OK with watching children as young as six being humiliated, their tiny wrists being tied up and leaving them crying in the hot sun,” she said.

“Children are forever damaged by this type of behaviour.

“There is no justification for instilling terror into small children.”

Authorities encouraged community members to allow “the court to run its course”, as police worked with families involved to investigate the incident.

“There’s been a lot of publicity around this matter, but we certainly want some calmness in the town,” WA Police Acting Assistant Commissioner for Regional WA Rod Wilde said.

“Children under 10 are not going to be criminally responsible,” he said.

“We’re engaging with the children’s parents … They’re certainly keen for the court process to run its course.”

Wilde said it would be alleged inappropriate force was used against the children.

“There is a power under that [Criminal Investigations Act] to make a citizen’s arrest where people can be restrained. There’s some conditions around that,” he said.

“Whatever force you apply to arrest someone needs to be reasonable, given the age of the person involved, the vulnerability, and all of those things that be taken into account by the court.”

Police have since confirmed a 45-year-old man has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault. He has been granted bail and will appear in court at a later date.

-with AAP