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Who is Shakwan Kelly? SHOCKING video shows man fleeing cops knocking woman and toddler to ground

Officers said ahead of the incident, they were responding to reports of a shirtless man walking in traffic and kicking cars

A video of a 40-year-old woman standing with her toddler was shared by Vancouver police in Canada and shows the shocking moment when they are knocked to the ground earlier this month. The mother and child were standing on East Pender near Gore Avenue, police say, and the mother hit her head on the pavement. The child suffered some scratches. Officers say ahead of the incident, they were responding to reports of a shirtless man walking in traffic and kicking cars on July 9, around 10.45 am.

Shakwan David Kelly, 27, who was being chased by police following an earlier incident, ran into the back of the woman and the toddler, knocking them both to the ground. Shocked bystanders rushed to help the mother and child after they were thrown to the floor, while Kelly, who was topless, continued running. Kelly allegedly kicked one car so hard that it caused a dent in one of the doors, police said. 

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Vancouver police has released the footage of the incident on their Twitter account. "This assault occurred in a busy neighborhood and was witnessed by about a dozen people," said Sergeant Steve Addison according to Castanet. "Although we've spoken to some witnesses, we're still collecting evidence and we'd like to hear from others who saw or heard what happened," he said.

He was initially taken to jail by Vancouver police, then released from custody after being charged with mischief, assault and obstructing a peace officer. Kelly didn’t show up for his scheduled court appearance on July 12. It was only on Thursday, July 21, that police officers tracked down Kelly and arrested him after a witness recognized him from media reports and flagged over a Vancouver police officer who was patrolling the neighborhood. He was returned to jail and police said they are continuing to investigate Kelly's alleged involvement in a number of criminal offences that occurred the morning of July 9 in the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown. 

Twitter users also reacted to the video footage and expressed their opinions. One user said, "Good thing Shakwan David Kelly was not driving, or the comment will be 'road rat single passenger driver mowed down kid'. Another user tweeted, "Why are the VPD asking for additional witnesses to an assault so clearly documented on video? One might think police should instead be asking for witnesses to the whereabouts of the alleged assaulter, Shakwan David Kelly." "It’s ok to find Shakwan David Kelly and end his career as a criminal," another tweeted. 

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