By Madeleine Morgenstern
July 28, 2011
Police arrested a 36-year-old homeless woman for allegedly snatching a baby boy from his stroller and slamming him into a pole, then trying to break his arm off so she could eat it, authorities said Wednesday.
Adriana Miranda was walking with her sister in downtown Los Angeles during the July 21 incident, pushing her 4-month-old son down the street when Natasha Hubbard allegedly reached into the stroller, unbelted the baby and grabbed him by the leg, swinging him overhead before slamming him into a rail, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The boy’s mother and aunt tried to fight Hubbard off, and when Miranda was finally able to grab the baby back Hubbard scratched at her and kept trying to fight.
The baby received only minor injuries and was treated for bruises and scratches.
According to the Times, Hubbard ran away but witnesses helped identify her, leading to her arrest. She was charged with aggravated assault and her bail set at $30,000. She is currently on probation for both a narcotics case and a battery case, and has been arrested for aggravated assault before.
In an interview with detectives, Hubbard confirmed she tried to break the baby’s arm off in order to eat it.