A TEENAGER was injured after being shot at a popular seafront attraction.

Armed police swooped on the Alexandra Gardens on Weymouth seafront after the young man was injured by a pellet from an air rifle.

The gunman was seen aiming his rifle at people at the attraction from a nearby flat.

The mother of the injured teenager, Daniel Baker, condemned the attack.

Daniel, 17, was at the Alexandra Gardens with friends when he saw the rifle poking out of a window of a nearby flat.

Daniel, of Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth, said: “I crouched behind my bike, to try and get out of the way.

“Then I heard this whistling noise, and suddenly felt a lot of pain.”

He was wearing a thick jacket at the time of the shooting, which he believes bore the brunt of the force.

He added: “It did hurt a lot, but I think it could have been a lot worse.

“My friend was standing next to me at the time, it’s lucky it didn’t hit him as well.”

The student, who goes to the gardens regularly with friends, said he did not know the man who shot him.

“We had been there minding our own business, it came completely out of the blue.

“I have no idea why he did it.”

The student was left with a red mark on his arm, bruising and swelling around the area.

Daniel’s mum Nicola Baker was shocked at the incident.

She said: “It was distressing, as a mother, to receive a phone call like that, that your kid is hurt.

“It’s not just the sheer panic of what has happened and how they are feeling, but it makes you wonder what this town is coming to.

“I’ve lived in Weymouth all my life. It used to be safe, but it seems that you hear about things like this more and more.

“How can you understand the mentality of someone who would do something like that to a young person?”

She added: “Daniel called to tell me what had happened, and I called the police, who said they would send someone.

“But I actually got there before they did. It took 45 minutes for a single officer to turn up.”

Nicola said she was told the incident was not an emergency, and therefore not a priority for police.

She added: “It wasn’t a severe mark on Daniel’s arm, but it was the shock more than anything, and how can someone taking pot shots out of a window not be a priority?”

The attack took place at around 5pm last Friday.

Nicola claims it is not the first time an incident like this has occurred in Alexandra Gardens.

“The same thing happened to my friend’s daughter recently.

“It’s absolutely crazy. It needs investigating.”

A spokesman for Dorset Police said two men had been arrested and a witness appeal had been launched.

He said: “Dorset Police are appealing for witnesses following an incident about 5.30pm on Friday, February 17, when a 17 year-old male is believed to have received an injury to his arm having been shot with an air rifle.

“Two males have been arrested in connection with this matter and have been granted bail pending further inquiries.”

Anyone with information should contact Weymouth CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.