Police are seeking an “Asian male” with a “foreign accent” who held a knife to the throat of a 19-month baby during a “terrifying” daylight street robbery in Normanby, England.
“The incident happened between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday (May 24) as the victim, a woman in her 40s, was taking her 19-month-old grandson for a walk,” recounted Cleveland Police in an official witness appeal.
“She was pushing the pushchair along the footpath in the wooded area off Ormesby Road, Normanby, when a man came out of the bushes in front of her and demanded her purse.
“When the victim refused the man produced a knife and placed it to her grandchild’s throat. The victim then handed over her purse and the man ran off towards Normanby High Street.”
Police described the suspect as an “Asian male” in his early to mid-twenties, around 6-feet tall, with a “foreign accent” and “very bad teeth”.
In British parlance, “Asian” normally refers to people with roots in the Middle East and South Asia — particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, and often including Afghanistan — rather than the Far East, as it does in the United States.
“This was clearly a terrifying incident for the victim and very distressing as it involved a threat of violence against her grandchild,” commented DC Lewis Mackfall for Cleveland Police.
“We’re appealing for anyone who might have seen a man matching this description to speak to us urgently by calling 101 with reference number 086712.”
Violent crime is soaring in England and Wales, with the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showing an increase of almost 20 per cent on the previous year.
Knife crime, in particular, is becoming a matter of increasing concern, with 2019 having already rung in its 100th fatal stabbing and gang members reportedly awarding each other “points” for piercing victims in different body parts — with the head and face scoring highest.
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