An Iowa mother drew her weapon and scared off a pair of criminals who tried to kidnap her son on a Des Moines skywalk.
The mother, Shay Lindberg, was leaving her office when she noticed a homeless couple pacing back and forth in front of the door, waving at her son.
She assumed that Lindbergh wanted to apply for a job or something and thought nothing of leaving office.
Outside pair Laurie Potter, 56, and Michael Ross, 43.
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As Lindbergh left the office with her son, Potter began demanding that she give him the baby, bending down and telling him that she was his “real mother”. She told the child that his real father was “Thor” and grabbed his arm and tried to run away.
At this point, Lindbergh drew his weapon and told the pair to leave.
“In this case, the display of the handgun had the desired effect and the mother was able to protect her child,” Des Moines police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek told the Des Moines Register.
“This incident and other recent incidents involving self-defense with a firearm should send a strong message to criminals. The risk of being seriously injured or killed while committing a crime is very real,” Parizek said.
Will Hunter, a site supervisor for Per Mar Security Services who patrols the skywalk, told the Register that a photo of Ross earlier in the day helped identify the suspects.
“It was an ideal outcome. At the end of the day, the kid was safe,” Hunter said. “Shay used legal concealed carry as a deterrent and no shots were fired, no confusion.”
Potter and Ross are charged with felony child theft. They are all being held on $50,000 cash bond.
