Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This is the moment a fare dodger in a suit hits a young boy in the face with his briefcase and then runs away after the child reminds him to pay for his bus ride.
The incident happened in the city of Jingmen in China’s central province of Hubei shortly after the pensioner got off the bus and the four-year-old ran up to him and said: “You can’t ride the bus if you don’t pay!”
CCTV images from the bus show pensioner Mr Chen, 68, entering through the front doors but failing to pay with cash or travel card.
When the female bus operator notices and then criticises him for fare dodging, he reportedly claims he did not have enough money on him.
After Mr Chen and the boy’s family get off the bus, security video then shows the child running in front of the pensioner, reportedly to remind him to pay his fare next time.
The mortified pensioner who is left embarrassed in public is seen swinging the briefcase in his right hand and hitting the boy in the face, knocking the boy to the ground.
The child’s grandmother, who was taking him and his younger sister home from nursery school, picks the boy up and runs after the pensioner who was later caught by other witnesses.
Li Shixiong, with Quankou Police Station, said the boy suffered minor scratches on his face and had a jump on the back of his head from striking the ground.
He was not in any life-threatening condition after the attack, for which Mr Chen was detained and remains in custody.
The authorities did not say how long Mr Chen would be detained for, but similar public order offences usually mandate a short-term jail sentence of no longer than 15 days.
The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.