Scum of the Earth': After a Man Punched an 8-Year-Old Over an iPad, a Good Samaritan Jumped Into Action

An 8-year-old boy who was punched in the face by a thief who took his iPad was avenged by a restaurant cook who saw the attack and took off after the culprit.

The boy, who was not named due to his age, is seen on surveillance footage leaving a Minneapolis daycare with his aunt, paying more attention to his iPad than to where he was walking. Walking in the opposite direction toward the boy, a man is then seen hitting him in the face, knocking the boy down and taking off with his Apple tablet.

Image source: WCCO-TV

“This is the scum of the earth,” Mohammad Armeli told WCCO-TV of the Thursday incident. “You cannot hit a child like that. Don’t hit him for his iPad, or for anything.”

“Poor kid. I can’t believe it, the blood was all over his face," Armeli said.

Armeli stopped what he was doing and chased down the man, identified by police as 32-year-old Aaron Stillday. He ran after the suspect for a half-mile while calling 911, then held him until police could arrive, according to WCCO.

Watch WCCO-TV's report, which includes surveillance footage of the attack:

Stillday was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated robbery. According to WCCO, police said they have seen Stillday before.

“As I was told, he’s been arrested 60 times,” Armeli told the news station. “I can’t believe they let him out.”

Minneapolis police spokesman Scott Seroka told WCCO people should wait to use their electronic devices until they're in a secure space because of an uptick in robberies.

The iPad was retrieved, though with a damaged screen. But the Apple store, after seeing video of the attack, gave the family a new device.