A woman is in police custody after the stabbing of a 1-year-old boy and 24-year-old woman in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 13, per a press release the Philadelphia Police Department shared with PEOPLE.
Takeira Hester was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and “related offenses,” per the PPD press release. She was arrested after she allegedly left a backpack at the crime scene, and the contents pointed authorities in her direction.
Hester was formally charged on Sunday, April 14, a district attorney’s spokesperson told NBC News.
The 28-year-old allegedly stabbed and attacked the woman and the one-year-old boy in two separate attacks on April 13. The toddler’s twin was in the same stroller and was targeted but was unharmed, per NBC News.
The woman was the victim of the first attack, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. on the 1300 block of Chancellor Street. She was stabbed in her chest and left hand. Hester allegedly used a weapon that appeared to be a long kitchen knife, said Police Capt. Frank Banford in a Sunday press conference, and confirmed that the weapon has yet to be recovered.
Four hours later, just after noon, Hester allegedly stabbed the one-year-old boy on the 300 block of South 18th Street outside Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel (BZBI) synagogue. The toddler was in a double stroller with his twin as their parents walked with them on 18th Street.
“It looked like this female just rushed up to them, nothing was said, completely random, tried to stab both children but got one child,” said Banford. She stabbed the boy in his left forearm, per the PPD press release.
The child’s father chased Hester as she ran away from the scene; as she fled, she dropped her black backpack, Banford said in the press conference.
He shared that the contents in the bag led the authorities to find the suspect, adding that a coat believed to be worn by the attack during the first stabbing was found in the bag.
Both the woman and toddler were taken to local hospitals. The woman was transported to Jefferson University Hospital and is in stable condition. The toddler is currently in stable condition at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Hester was arrested around 7:20 p.m. on Saturday evening.
“It’s a complete random act,” Capt. Banford said of Hester’s alleged assaults. “I don’t know the mental capacity of this person, trying to research this. If the person of interest has a background, I’m not sure yet. We’re still researching that.”
“This is somewhat of an oddity,” said Capt. Banford. “For someone to just randomly attack, we see it from time to time, but you know, just be careful and keep your eyes out. This isn’t an everyday occurrence.”
The Philadelphia Police Department confirms an investigation is underway.
The office of the Philadelphia district attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Monday.
