Baden-Württemberg
Supermarket crime scene: Man stabs four-year-old
A man attacked a four-year-old with a knife in a supermarket. photo
© David Pichler/dpa
A mother and her daughter’s shopping ends dramatically. The four-year-old is stabbed in a supermarket and has to undergo surgery. The suspect is a stranger to both of them.
The day after, there is nothing to indicate the bloody act that took place in one supermarket in the Allgäu. Customers walk in and out of Wangen, no traces of the crime scene can be seen – business as usual. A mother and her daughter’s shopping in the store on Wednesday afternoon ends dramatically: the four-year-old is stabbed. A witness might prevent something worse from happening.
According to police, the suspected perpetrator – a 34-year-old – is unknown to the girl and her mother.
“The two did not know each other until then, and there was probably no previous relationship,” said a police spokeswoman about the suspect and the girl. According to initial findings, the Syrian with Dutch citizenship suddenly attacked the girl with a knife and seriously injured her. The child was immediately taken to a clinic and operated on. The girl is in stable condition.
Witness disarms man
A witness in the supermarket saw the crime and intervened. “He took the knife away from the man and then chased him too.” The suspect left the store after the crime. “The witness called the police and told us where the man was. That’s how my colleagues were able to arrest him.” The alleged perpetrator allowed himself to be arrested without resistance.
The police and public prosecutor’s office initially did not provide any further information about the suspect. The man was due to appear before the judge late on Thursday afternoon, who would decide whether to pre-trial detention. According to police, the 34-year-old initially did not comment on the allegations.
The mayor is shocked
The mayor of the city of Wangen emphasized that his thoughts were with the family he knew. “I have never experienced such an act, we have never experienced such an act here,” said Michael Lang (independent) on Thursday in the town hall. “The sudden attack on a child is something that shocks us all and leaves us incredibly shocked and upset.”
The mayor called the reaction of the man who disarmed the suspect and called the police “great” and said he deserves an award for it at some point.
The police also emphasized that the attack on the toddler was not an everyday case: “Crimes of this kind are very rare,” said the police spokeswoman.
The branch of a well-known discount chain was closed on Wednesday after the knife attack to search for clues.