Baby is punched in street attack
An 11-month-old baby was treated in hospital after being punched in the face by a youth in a Teesside street.
Yasmin Ali was walking with her baby, Sarah, in a pushchair along Borough Road, Middlesbrough, on Wednesday night when they were approached by a youth.
The youth, who appeared to be drunk or under the influence of drugs, tried to snatch the baby from the pushchair and then punched her twice in the face.
The baby was taken to hospital and suffered redness to her left eye.
"He started hitting her," said Mrs Ali. "He punched her and had physical contact with her twice. She was really screaming.
"I was hysterical as well and with one hand I was hitting him to let go of the straps.
"I was thinking he was going to kill her, he was using so much force and shoving the buckle into her tummy to try and release it that I thought at one point he had stabbed her."
The youth ran off down Somerset Street.
He is described as white, aged 14 to 16, 5ft 7in, thin, with slight stubble and was wearing a grey Adidas tracksuit with white stripes down the sleeves.
Det Con Sonja Whittingham, from Cleveland Police, said: "For some unknown reason he decided he wanted the baby and said it was his baby.
"Luckily the baby only had slight injuries and appears to be okay.
"However the consequences of this attack could have been much more serious."
Police are appealing for anyone who saw what happened, particularly three young girls who were in the area at the time, to contact them.