The attack happened early on a Tuesday morning in Paris.

It's maybe 8.30 in the morning. You know, people are taking their kids to school or daycare.

Businesses are opening up. People are having their coffee.

That's our colleague, Sam Shackner.

A white delivery van pulls up and three men dressed in black masks, jump out and grab a 34-year-old

woman while she's walking with her husband and her two-year-old toddler.

Onlookers captured the attack on video.

They pepper spray the family and try to drag her into that truck.

And she screams.

And the husband throws himself in front of her and grabs onto her for dear life and won't let go.

And they are trying to pull her away.

You know, she's screaming, help, help, help.

And, you know, let go of me.

Let go of me, damn it.

Eventually, more people start coming, and a guy who runs a bike shop right nearby runs out

of the building, holding a fire extinguisher.

And he kind of runs at the attackers.

And they just hopped in the back of that white van and sped off

while the bike shop owner just sort of threw the fire extinguisher after them,

just barely missing the back of the van as it sped around the corner.

The assailants fled the scene, leaving the woman, her bloodied husband, and her toddler behind.

Why did this happen?

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