A mother and her baby were subjected to a terrifying carjacking in Belfast city centre early this morning, with the infant threatened using what appeared to be broken glass. The incident occurred on Donegall Place shortly before 4am.
Police reported that a delivery driver had stepped out of a white Vauxhall Agila, leaving his partner and their young baby in the back seat. Two men approached the vehicle, one of whom jumped into the driver's seat and drove off.
A short distance away, near Fountain Lane, the suspect turned and held what the woman believed to be a broken bottle or piece of glass to the baby's head, ordering her to get out of the car. The mother and infant complied and were left shaken but uninjured. The vehicle was then driven towards City Hall and onto Chichester Street.
A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson described the incident as 'absolutely shocking' and 'an extremely distressing ordeal'. The victims were left shaken but thankfully otherwise unharmed.
Sinn Féin councillor Ciaran Beattie called the event 'disgraceful' and confirmed that a taskforce would soon be established to address rising crime and anti-social behaviour in Belfast city centre. He welcomed cross-party support for the initiative.
