Tragedy hit Pennsylvania Tuesday as an armed assailant committed a horrifically violent act on a toddler in front of his parents after already missing a court date.
Takeira Hester, 28, from Brooklyn, NY, allegedly stabbed a 1-year-old in Philadelphia after skipping court for a separate case in New York City.
On April 13, Hester allegedly walked up to the 1-year-old boy sitting in a stroller alongside his twin and slashed the helpless toddler in front of both parents on South 18th Street.
"We had two parents walking a stroller down the street with two twins," Philadelphia Police Capt. Frank Banford told reporters.
"It looked like this female just rushed up to them and nothing was said-completely random. [She] tried to stab both children but got one child...in each arm," he added.
The father of the twins ran after Hester, who managed to get away; however, she left her bag behind, which ultimately helped authorities track her down.
Hester used a "long knife" in both attacks and was apprehended shortly after the attack on North 63rd Street, according to the New York Post.
Her random acts of violence began in Philadelphia earlier that morning, at approximately 8:30 a.m., when she stabbed a 24-year-old woman in the chest and hand in the City Center neighborhood.
The 24-year-old woman and 1-year-old child were hospitalized in stable condition.
Out on bail, she had missed a hearing two days prior for another assault case before making her way to Philadelphia.
She stands accused of stabbing a 31-year-old bystander who tried to stop a fight between her and another woman on a train in lower Manhattan in 2022.
Hester pulled out a knife and stabbed the man in the back of the neck, right wrist, and shoulder.
She immediately fled the station but was later identified at Bellevue Hospital, where she was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and first-degree attempted assault charges.
Hester is also facing charges for aggravated assault, weapon possession, simple assault, and reckless endangerment.
