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Terrified shoppers fled the busy Merry Hill shopping centre in Dudley after the boy was beaten in the face with a hammer "several times".

A pregnant shop worker said his face "was an absolute mess" after he was hit and a female shopper was also reportedly knocked unconscious.

The woman was apparently knocked over when one of the men involved in the attack was trying to run away.

The witness, who didn't want to be named, said the horror attack started when the alleged victim ran into a queue for Burger King, at the Eat Central food court at around 1pm yesterday.

She told Birmingham Live: "It was just awful and it all happened so quickly.

"The lad shoved his way through the customers and it seemed as if he was trying to get away from someone.

"I remember feeling a bit uneasy at that point because I am pregnant.

"Then another lad appeared, who seemed to have been chasing him, with a hammer in his hand.

"The lad with the hammer then hit the lad who ran into the queue, in the face.

"By this time, there was a lady unconscious on the floor, after she had been knocked over in the queue.

"People were trying to help this lady and there was so much going on.

"It was hard to see how many people were involved in this because the food court was so busy with customers but it seemed to me as if there were two gangs.

"The guy who had been hit in the face ran off towards the cash machines but was being chased and was hit by a guy with the hammer, again in the face.

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"His face was an absolute mess and I then noticed another guy with a gash and blood on the back of his head.

"I would say there was more than one hammer involved."

Shoppers reportedly fled the centre as the attack unfolded, with bystanders describing the situation as terrifying.

West Midlands Police said it is due to release a statement about an incident today.