This is the shocking moment a young thug tries to smash a Californian cop’s head in with a baseball bat outside a shopping centre.

The incident took place outside a Walmart store at the Parkway Plaza shopping centre in the city of El Cajon in San Diego County in the US state of California on 4th March.

Julian Kurko, 26, is being kept in detention without bail on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder, according to county jail records.

The police said the cop approached the suspect outside the shopping centre after receiving reports of a young man “committing a theft and threatening citizens”.

In the footage, Kurko is seen swinging the baseball bat at the cop’s head and just missing before a scuffle takes place.

While being detained, the young man says: “I’ll (expletive) kill you, (expletive)” and “I want to kill you, bro”.

The police said Kurko has an “extensive history of violent crimes” including making criminal threats, brandishing a deadly weapon, and assault with a deadly weapon that date back to 2014.

During last week’s arrest, the officer was hit on the arm by the bat, but he has since returned to active duty.

Security staff at the shopping centre said the suspect was attempting to steal sporting products and threatened workers with the baseball bat.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said Kurko was due for arraignment on the afternoon of 8th March, but was instead sent to medical isolation.

The investigation continues.

El Cajon Police Department shared the video with the message: “Every day, police officers respond to calls for service in our communities, never knowing what they will encounter. Officers are often challenged with making split-second, life-and-death decisions when threatened with unprovoked, violent attacks as they perform their duties.

“This past Friday, one of our officers responded to a call of a man, who was armed with a baseball bat, committing a theft and threatening citizens.

“The officer contacted the suspect and, despite attempts to de-escalate the incident, was violently assaulted when the suspect attempted to strike the officer in the head with the bat.

“The officer was able to defend himself against the attack and restrain the suspect until backup arrived several minutes later. During the struggle, the officer was in a fight for his life, as the suspect continued to threaten to kill him.”