Security cameras captured the moment a middle-aged man suddenly bent down and grabbed the child.
The mother countered, holding her daughter. While the man was pushing the child towards him, the girl’s femur was broken. Her father, as well as passers-by, ran to help.
The alleged kidnapper, a 47-year-old homeless man from Romania, was overpowered by security guards, and then arrested by the police and kept in custody. He is accused of aggravated kidnapping of a child under 14 years of age and causing serious bodily injury.
The police said that the motive for the attempted kidnapping was not clear. The man has no criminal record and will be questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday. The child was treated at the hospital and is now recovering at home with his parents.
“The survival instinct kicked in,” the girl’s father, named Matteo, told Italian television. “Seeing your daughter in danger is terrible. The reaction was immediate. You don’t think, you just act.”
He said that his daughter was sitting in a stroller while shopping, but then she wanted to walk.
“I gave it to my partner and I was pushing the trolley. It all happened in a split second. It’s something you don’t expect, especially because the supermarket was full of people,” he added.
“I have to thank the supermarket staff who intervened and the police who arrived quickly. My daughter is fine and playing despite the cast she has to wear.”
Marco Cadeddu, a senior police officer, said it was a very serious incident, adding: “We arrested the man, took him to the police station and took care of the child who was taken to hospital. It could have ended much worse.”
Elena Carnevali, the mayor of Bergamo, expressed her solidarity with the parents for the “terrifying experience” they endured.
(Vijesti.ba)
