TACOMA, Wash. -- A Tacoma woman is under arrest after allegedly trying to snatch a baby out of a stroller right before her mother's eyes.
Amanda Kathleen Skaar, 26, faces the charge of attempted kidnapping - a felony - and is scheduled to have a competency hearing next month after a court-ordered mental evaluation.
Around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Elsie Wescott and her 5-month old daughter, Ayla, were walking near Vickery Ave near 64th Street East in unincorporated Pierce County.
Wescott said a white Ford Taurus was passing by when the driver suddenly hit the brakes and made a U-turn. A woman who was driving the car jumped out and approached Wescott, she said.
Court records said the woman, later identified as Skaar, began yelling at Wescott, "That’s not your baby. You think that’s your baby? Give me that baby."
Detectives said Skaar began grabbing at the stroller, but was unable to remove the child who was strapped in. Wescott said she was able to scare off the suspect, who got back into the car and yelled, “Watch out. You better watch your back,” according to probable cause documents.
A driver who was nearby followed Skaar to her home and deputies later took her in custody.
Wescott said investigators told her Skaar had recently been released from Western State Hospital, a state-owned psychiatric hospital for adults.
Western State spokesperson Kris Flowers said she could not comment on any previous patients at the facility, but said in general, "If a patient is discharged, they have met all treatment criteria that teams have designed for them."
She said Western State also coordinates with community mental health agencies for follow-up care to any discharged patients.
"If she was a patient, and if she was recently released, there would definitely be a review at the hospital to see what could have been done differently," said Flowers.
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