"As someone who is soon going to be a mother, this act is really shameful," wrote one person as the video went viral. Others used words like "cruel" and "childish" to describe her behaviour.
Shocking CCTV footage captures the moment a heavily pregnant woman deliberately tripped a four-year-old boy. The woman reportedly did it because she was "annoyed" and wanted to teach the child "a lesson." The surveillance footage went viral on Chinese social networking sites, where many condemned the woman's "shameful" behaviour.
CCTV footage posted on YouTube by CGTN shows the unidentified boy running into a restaurant. As he enters the establishment, he pushes past a clear plastic curtain. It is this curtain that hits the woman - seated at a nearby table with her husband - and causes some of her food to spill.
Both the woman and her husband appear to exclaim and gesture but the child doesn't seem to realise what he has inadvertently done. Other diners in the restaurant briefly look over to see what the commotion is all about.
Seconds later, as the boy is exiting the restaurant, the woman stretches out her left leg in a clear attempt to trip him over. The boy - not seeing the obstacle in front of him - immediately flies forward and falls to the ground. Even worse, neither her nor her husband bother to help the child up. They simply carry on with their meals. His mother rushes to his side and helps him up.
Watch the CCTV footage below:
According to local media reports, the young boy - who suffers from a heart defect - was diagnosed with a mild concussion as a result of the fall and hospitalised for two days.
It was only when the boy told his mother that he had been deliberately tripped that she realised what had actually happened.
According to a local newspaper quoted by South China Morning Post, the boy's mother checked the CCTV footage and immediately called the police.
"Police said they would detain her for 10 days and penalise her 1,000 yuan (approximately Rs. 10,500), but she is seven months pregnant," she told China Youth Daily. "We do not wish to affect her. I have children myself. I can understand."
The woman was heavily criticised on social media after footage of the incident went viral. She turned herself in to the cops and offered to pay for any medical expenses, reports Shanghaiist. She even apologised to the child's parents.
"As someone who is soon going to be a mother, this act is really shameful," wrote one person on China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo. Others used words like "cruel" and "childish" to describe her behaviour.