Story By: James King, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

This is the shocking moment a man suddenly runs at a woman with a child and picks the youngster up in the air before smashing him down on the road.

The sickening incident happened in the prefecture-level city of Jiaxing in northern Zhejiang Province in China on 10th of January.

The footage starts with a peaceful scene in which the woman, believed to be the child’s grandmother, is seen handing the child what appears to be something to eat.

But before the youngster can do anything with the food, he and the woman notice a man coming towards them who appears to be shouting.

The man then suddenly speeds up and runs over, grabbing the boy by the shoulders and flinging him through the air, and he lands on the ground on his back.

The woman is left frozen in shock, but before the man can attack again, another passerby runs over and flings the attacker onto his back before then stepping back and calling the police.

Cops said that a patrol arrived a short while later, and officers arrested the man, identified as Yu Moumou from Sichuan, who local media said had a history of psychiatric problems.

He was placed in a psychiatric hospital after his arrest, where he was given a provisional diagnosis of schizophrenia, according to a police statement released a day later.

The investigation continues, and it was reported that the child, who can be seen looking upset but otherwise unharmed, was indeed not seriously injured in the attack.