Toddler critical after man throws her to the ground in row with her mother for parking

Published Friday, July 26, 2013

By AFP

A two-year-old Chinese girl was in critical condition Thursday after being thrown to the ground by a man in a row with her mother over parking, a hospital and state media said.

The man, identified only by his surname Han, wanted to park by a bus stop in Beijing, the Beijing Times said, citing a witness.

But the woman pedestrian would not move out of his way as she was checking on her daughter at the time.

Han, in his 40s, emerged from his Hyundai Sonata and hit the woman before taking the toddler out of her pram, holding her up and throwing her "forcefully" to the ground, said the witness, a street stall owner surnamed Zhou.

"The baby made no noises after being dropped, not even a cry of pain," the newspaper quoted Zhou as saying.

Another man came out of the car and also beat the mother before the pair drove away, it added.

The mother rushed the girl to a nearby medical facility and the report said she died while being transferred to Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

But that hospital indicated to AFP that the toddler remained under treatment.

"She is still alive," said a hospital official, declining to be named or to provide further details.

The Legal Daily said the girl remained in critical condition, adding she had stopped breathing at one point and was being kept alive by a respirator.

Later on Thursday the official Xinhua news agency said the infant was still receiving emergency treatment at hospital.

Police found Han, who was released from prison this year after serving a sentence for theft, in a hot spring bathhouse and detained him, said the Legal Daily.

"Han was put in criminal detention on suspicion of intentional homicide on Thursday afternoon," Xinhua said, citing the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

He could be charged with serious assault if the girl survives, the Legal Daily cited lawyers as saying, making him eligible for a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

A death sentence could be handed down if she dies and he is charged with murder, according to other Chinese reports.

Another man who also has a criminal record has surrendered to police, Xinhua reported late on Thursday.