A man has been arrested after stabbing a five-year-old child at the Waterstone Village shopping centre in Somerset West. Western Cape police officials have confirmed that a mother was walking through the centre with her two children when the suspected approached them and stabbed one of the children.
The incident occurred at approximately 9.15am on Monday morning.
“Both children (a boy and a baby) were inside a shopping trolley with the five-year-old boy sitting in the front,” Captain Hein Hendricks said to News24. The suspect approached the trolley and took out the knife before proceeding to stab the little boy in the chest.
Hendricks confirmed that security guards, along with the boy’s mother, apprehended the suspect, who was later arrested on a charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The little boy is reported to be in stable condition.
The centre manager of Waterstone Village, Daphne Kriel, told News24 that they were thankful that their security recognised the assailant and grabbed him shortly after the incident. “We are so thankful that both of the children are not harmed, but we urge our parents to be also vigilant in today’s day and age,” Kriel said.
The man is expected to appear in the Somerset West Magistrate’s Court after he has been charged.
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