A woman grabbed a 1-year-old by the throat and told the mother, "That baby would rather be dead," according to U.K.'s Daily Telegraph. The stranger calmly entered the pharmacy Boots on The Strand in central London and grabbed the baby in the stroller at about 12:30 p.m. local time on Jan. 16. The mother reacted quickly and the baby was not injured.
The attacker was escorted out by security, but police are now looking for her. She is described as a 5-foot-2-inch chubby white woman in her early 60s with light hair and an eye deformity or boil.
"She appeared to have been followed in by the suspect who walked straight to the pushchair and reached into it taking hold of the baby's throat for a second," a London Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph. "The mother of the baby had originally thought that the suspect was going to just look and fuss over her baby, but when she saw what was actually happening, she immediately grabbed the suspect's hand to prevent the assault from continuing.
"The suspect uttered the words 'that baby would rather be dead' as she was escorted out by a security guard at Boots. She then proceeded to walk off towards Trafalgar Square."
Police asked that anyone with information call police 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.