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Police: Stranger Chokes Baby At Walmart

By Lisa D'Souza

OVERLAND PARK (CNN) -- A man is in jail accused of trying to strangle a 4-month-old girl at an Overland Park Walmart.

That man is from Clifton, NJ. Police say they're trying to figure out what he was doing in Kansas City and what would have motivated him to go after an infant.

Police say a man in his 40s named Oleh Zhownirovych tried to strangle the child in the checkout line with her mother. The store is located in the 7700 block of Frontage Road.

Officers say other customers and security quickly got involved, pinning the suspect to the ground until police arrived. The baby was treated at the scene. She is OK.

Zhownirovych was taken to a hospital before he was sent to jail. Police are investigating if drugs or alcohol could be a factor in this attack. Meantime, they're relieved others were to quick to help.

"It's a wonderful thing that the bystanders were there and able to subdue suspect until police arrived," Officer John Lacy said.

Zhownirovych is expected to be in court Thursday.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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