Woman plucks 3-year-old from mall play area then attacks officers, Virginia cops say
A woman lured a toddler away from a mall play area then attacked cops when they confronted her about it, police in Virginia say.
Now she’s facing multiple charges.
Officers responded at about 5:45 p.m. Friday, April 28, after a report about a 3-year-old who went missing from a play area outside Tysons Corner Center, according to Fairfax County Police.
Security cameras helped police identify a 33-year-old woman, of Washington, D.C., as being involved. Authorities said she was seen walking toward the mall before she stopped to talk to the youngster.
That’s when she took the child’s hand and led them into the shopping mall, police said. The woman was later seen going down an escalator with the toddler in her arms.
Authorities eventually found the child and woman at a restaurant inside the mall, the release said. The woman was arrested, despite assaulting officers as they approached, authorities said.
She faces charges of abduction, possession of burglarious tools, assault on law enforcement and trespassing, according to police. Officers also served her with an warrant for failure to appear, and she was booked into jail without bond.
The child was uninjured and reunited with their family, police said.
Fairfax County is just southwest of Washington, D.C..
This story was originally published May 2, 2023 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Woman plucks 3-year-old from mall play area then attacks officers, Virginia cops say."