A man who is reportedly homeless is accused of trying to snatch a toddler from her mother at a supermarket in Bergamo, Italy, on Saturday.
Surveillance footage showed the moment the mother and her one-year-old daughter approached the automatic doors to exit the store when a Romanian man moved close to them, the Sun reported Sunday.
The outlet said the child’s father was also present when the incident happened, and he was seen in the clip pushing a cart just behind the mother and child.
Video footage shows the mother holding her daughter’s hand. But just as the pair exit the building, the man, wearing a blue hoodie and green pants, leans down and allegedly tries to run into the store with the child.
The mother is seen holding onto the girl’s arm as they move out of view, and the father also takes off after them. Moments later, the mother is seen bumping into a sign by the door as she struggles to get her daughter away from the man. She falls on the floor and other shoppers rush to her aid:
The incident happened at the Esselunga mall, and Storyful reported Italian State Police said officers rushed to the scene and eventually arrested the suspect.
“Subsequent investigations, including the collection of witness statements and analysis of video surveillance footage, allowed the judicial authorities to charge him with attempted aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault,” the law enforcement agency stated.
Following the violent incident, the child was taken to a hospital suffering from a fractured femur, per the Sun article.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the femur is the longest and strongest bone in a person’s body that is critical when it comes to standing, moving, and balancing.
“Because it’s so strong, it usually takes a severe trauma like a fall or car accident to break your femur. If you do experience a fracture, you’ll likely need surgery to repair your bone and physical therapy to help you regain your strength and ability to move,” the site read.
The Sun report also noted the suspect is “currently in prison awaiting validation of his arrest.”
Social media users expressed their shock over the clip, one person writing, “That’s absolutely horrifying… can’t even imagine the fear that family went through. Thank God the suspect was caught. Praying the little girl recovers quickly.”
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