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A man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with a hammer attack on a 13-year-old boy in Windsor, Ont.

Police say the boy was walking along a street on Friday when a man struck him in the head several times with a hammer, causing multiple skull fractures. The boy managed to get up and walk back to his home on the same street. After the attack, the man yelled, “What is wrong with people in this world?” a neighbourtold the Windsor Star.

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The boy is in stable condition in a London, Ont., hospital.

Sgt. Matt D’Asti, who described the scene as horrific, said responding officers found Rafid Jihad, 28, sitting by the side of the road and he was arrested without incident. He remains in custody.

The neighbour, who feared for his safety and spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity, said he saw a man throw the 13-year-old to the ground and hit him several times on the hand, chest and head.

The boy managed to get up and walk back to his home on the same street. After the attack, the man yelled, “What is wrong with people in this world?” the neighbour recalled.

“He has violent vocal outbursts even when no one is around,” he said of the alleged assailant, adding that earlier this month, police were called when the 28-year-old was spotted pacing the street with a hammer behind his back. Police confirmed the incident, saying the man was deemed suspicious but did not pose a threat at the time.

While police are still trying to determine motive of Friday’s beating, one resident told the Windsor Star there was no reason for the attack.

“He’s a very quiet boy. I feel bad, the poor kid,” she said of the victim.