Shocking footage captures moment man launches horrendous attack on toddler in China

A man, identified as Wang Jialong, has been arrested according to local police

A still from the CCTV footage shows the attacker fleeing (Liveleak, via YouTube)

A man has been arrested after a video of him appearing to kick and punch a toddler on a street in China caused outrage online.

The CCTV footage appears to show a man repeatedly kicking and punching the unidentified toddler, believed to be between two and three-years-old, outside a shop in Luochuan county, Shaanxi Province, on 4 May.

Footage of the incident appeared online with millions of Chinese social media users expressing their shock – making it the top trending item on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

A local 28-year-old man named Wang Jiaolong has been arrested and is undergoing psychiatric tests, Sky News reports. It is believed that he may have mental health issues, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the video, the small child is seen playing with a dustpan and broom outside his uncle’s shop before the man appears and kicks him in the head.

When the child collapses to the ground, the man continues his assault: stamping on his head and hand 13 times before picking up the dustpan and broom and attacking the child.

The assault lasts for almost 35 seconds – with most pedestrians not intervening – until a group emerge from the shop and halt the assault.

Several men then chase the attacker down the street, while others help the child.

The toddler, who police have not named but confirmed is local, is reportedly recovering well in a specialist hospital in Xi’an after suffering what is thought to be several fractures to the left side of his skull and a severely wounded hand.