Man Punching 4-Year-Old Child Who He Thought Was a Mannequin
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About
Man Punching 4-Year-Old Child Who He Thought Was a Mannequin refers to a viral video of a 55-year-old Russian man punching a 4-year-old child in a store because he was allegedly confused, thinking that the child was a mannequin. The CCTV footage was taken in Kurchatov, Kursk region, Russia. In early 2024, the video was shared on Telegram and spread to websites like Reddit and Twitter / X where many posted memes about the event.
Origin
On February 2nd, 2024, Russian news outlet Fontanka[1] reported on a man's arrest in Kurchatov, Kursk region. The 55-year-old man was arrested for punching a 4-year-old boy in a store.[1][2] The man allegedly thought that the boy was a mannequin.[1] It was reported that he was intoxicated at the time of the arrest.[1][2] According to RT,[2] the same man had been arrested two years prior for swearing on a train and molesting passengers. It was also released to RT[2] that the boy had fully recovered from the assault.
According to Fontanka,[1] the surveillance video of the incident was originally posted to a Telegram[3] group called «Жесть Курск». Soon after, on February 2nd, 2024, the video was posted by X[4] user @githii, gaining over 20.5 million views and 86,000 likes in less than a day (shown below).
The 55-year-old man claimed he confused the 4-year-old child with a mannequin. pic.twitter.com/H4hJdrNFqf
— Githii (@githii) February 2, 2024
Spread
Soon after, on February 2nd, 2024, the video was posted to /r/shitposting[5] by Redditor Extreme-Elevator7128, receiving over 10,000 upvotes in less than a day.
On both Reddit and X, viral reactions ensued. For instance, on February 2nd, 2024, X[6] user @JamzLnd quoted the video, jokingly saying, "This is so brazen I believe him 😂," receiving over 1,500 likes in less than a day (shown below, left).
Later on February 2nd, 2024, X[7] user @Nelson81_ quoted it, asking, "But why are you going around punching mannequins?" receiving roughly 14,000 likes in less than a day (shown below, right).
On Reddit, many users chimed in with viral comments shared on the /r/shitposting[5] post. For instance, Redditor[8] Nigeris-Gameris commented, "Oh no, a walking mannequin. Guess i have to punch it to save the day," receiving roughly 7,000 upvotes in less than a day (shown below, left).
Also on February 2nd, 2024, Redditor[9] Melleyne commented, "When intrusive thoughts won," receiving over 2,400 upvotes in less than a day (shown below, right).
Various Examples
Search Interest
Unavailable.
External References
[1] Fontanka – Без повода ударил кулаком в голову. В Курчатове мужчина напал на ребенка в магазине
[2] RT – Источник RT: напавший на мальчика в Курчатове ранее приставал к людям
[3] Telegram – «Жесть Курск»
[5] Reddit – /r/shitposting
[7] X – @Nelson81_
[8] Reddit – Nigeris-Gameris
