This is the moment a man suddenly hits a three-year-old boy off his scooter and then tries to kick him on the ground before his mum runs over to protect him and he then even throws a punch at her.

The incident was filmed in the city of Taraz in the southern Kazakh region of Jambyl on 20th October.

In the footage, the boy’s mother is seen taking a seat on a bench as her young son pushes his way along the path on his scooter.

The young lad approaches a man walking in the opposite direction who suddenly hits the boy’s head, sending him flying off his scooter and crashing hard on the ground.

The man then apparently attempts to kick the boy in the head, but misses and falls over.

Meanwhile, the boy’s mum springs from the bench and positions herself between her son and the man, who throws a punch at her before walking away in the direction he came.

According to the news site Lenta, the woman went to the police after the incident and an investigation was opened.

The police quickly identified the suspect as a schizophrenia sufferer who is registered with a local psychiatric hospital.

The police said they detained the man and placed him in a medical facility to undergo a further psychiatric examination.

Local psychiatrist Galiya Elgembaeva said: “He has been treated at our hospital several times, he is a mentally disabled person. His last discharge was on 20th September 2021.”

There have been no further updates on the man’s examination and what the local authorities intend to do next.