Homeless man picks up 6-year-old boy and slams him to the ground, police say

A 6-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after a homeless man walking through the neighborhood suddenly picked him up and slammed him on the ground, authorities say.

New York police say they responded to a call of an emotionally disturbed person on Metropolitan Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard in Queens around 4:48 p.m. Thursday.

The boy was with his parents when Laurance Gendreau, 35, came up to him, picked him up and threw him on the ground head first, officials say.

He was rushed to Cohen Children's Medical Center by EMS and is being treated for hemorrhaging to the brain and a contusion to the head.

According to WNBC-TV, the boy was in critical but stable condition.

'Stand your ground' case: Parking lot killer in Florida gets 20 years

Saddleridge fire: Blaze swells to 4,600 acres, forcing evacuation of 13,000 homes

Gendreau was arrested and charged with assault, harassment and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17.

WNBC reported that the boy lives in Staten Island but was visiting his grandfather in Queens.

The boy's grandfather told the station that the suspect said, "I'm bipolar. I wanted to kill the kid," and that he was bothering other people on the block earlier that day.

He also added that he had never seen anything like this in the 40 years he's lived in the neighborhood and that his grandson did nothing to provoke the attack. 

Police say the investigation is ongoing. 

Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.