A man has been arrested following the assault of two toddlers with chilli powder in Sydney's inner west, police say.
The 40-year-old man allegedly assaulted two young children in separate incidents when the toddlers were being pushed in their prams by their mothers while shopping.
A woman entered a greengrocer on Liverpool Road in Ashfield when it is alleged the man approached her 18-month-old son who was sitting a pram and rubbed chilli powder on his face just after 11am (AEDT) on January 25.
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When the toddler began to cry, the man ran from the store.
The boy was treated by his doctor and did not sustain any serious injury.
In the second incident, a woman was shopping in a supermarket on Liverpool Road when a man allegedly approached her two-year-old seated in a pram and smeared chilli powder over his face about 7.45am on Monday.
The man fled the scene before police arrived. The toddler was taken to Canterbury Hospital by ambulance for treatment.
A man attended Ashfield police station about 9.40am on Monday, where he asked to use the toilet and allegedly tried to dispose of a packet of cayenne powder in the bin before police discovered what he was doing.
He was arrested and taken to Campsie Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of assault.
He will face Burwood Local Court on March 4.
