Teen bitten on face after refusing to hand over Nike shoes
Police are searching for two men after a sickening attack on a 13-year-old boy at a Macquarie Park shopping centre on Sydney's north shore.
One of the men allegedly demanded the boy's shoes before biting him on the face.
Thirteen-year-old Deklan Manley was walking with his 11-year-old friend Maia Watene in the shopping centre on Monday afternoon around midday when they were allegedly accosted by two men, one of whom demanded Deklan's expensive Nike shoes.
When the boy refused, a scuffle broke out before a man appearing to be 18-20 years old allegedly bit the boy's cheek so hard it left a deep bruise and mashed the inside of his mouth.
Deklan told Seven News that he had "one choice ... I'd fight him or give him my shoes, and I just chose to stand up for myself."
Maia Watene said the man "had tattoos" and "looked like a rat."
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Deklan now needs medical tests, including blood tests, to see if he has been infected with anything.
"Horrified to see that his face was in someone else's mouth and people [were] standing around, not doing a thing," Deklan's mother Jackie said.
Maia's mother Barbara said she was "shocked" after seeing video of the incident.
"I felt sick to my stomach and I wondered why no-one stepped in," she said.
"There were so many people there."
Both parents are furious that no-one thought to follow the men or ask if the two youngsters were OK.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.