Woman Tried to Kidnap Young Child From a Mother in Walmart in Broad Daylight
She was reportedly making death threats.
A woman has been arrested after trying to kidnap a child from a Walmart in Colorado and was only stopped when other shoppers saw what she was doing. Kimberli Jones, 50, allegedly snatched the young child from a shopping cart and started screaming threats as she tried to leave the store. "I was there," one of the Walmart shoppers said, the Daily Mail reports. "It was insane, she was screaming, 'I'm gonna kill this child, someone call child protective services, call the cops' … it was insane." Here's what happened, and what police have to say about the incident.
Kidnapping Attempt In Broad Daylight
The incident occurred just before 1 pm on Thursday, February 9th, at a Walmart in Alamosa, Colorado. According to eyewitnesses, Jones lifted a young child out of a shopping cart and attempted to leave the store with them.
She was also screaming and shouting about hurting the child, with one shopper later saying, "I was there, and heard a lot of yelling coming from the other side of the store, that's exactly what was going on!!"
Child Is Safe With Parents
Shoppers realized Jones was a danger to the child and prevented her from leaving the store. They managed to keep her contained until the police could arrive. The child was safely reunited with their parents, and Jones was arrested and charged with kidnapping, felony menacing, child abuse, and disorderly conduct.
The Police Issue a Statement
The City of Alamosa police issued a statement about the incident. "On February 9, 2023 at approximately 1249 hours, the Alamosa Police Department was dispatched to Wal-Mart in regards to an attempted kidnapping in progress. Upon officers' arrival, it was discovered that a female party grabbed a young child from a shopping cart and attempted to kidnap the child."
Suspect Is Being Held In Custody
The statement continued with details of Jones' charges. "Due to the quick actions of citizens within the store at the time of the incident, they were able to restrain the suspect until law enforcement arrived and reunited the young child back safely to parents. The suspect who was identified as Kimberli Jones, 50 year old female from Blanca, CO. was transported to the Alamosa County Detention Center for the following charges: kidnapping a F-3, felony menacing a F-5, child abuse a F-5 and disorderly conduct which is a M-3."
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Thanking Brave Citizens
Police made a point of thanking the brave shoppers who prevented the kidnapping from taking place. "This was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the community at this time. The Alamosa Police Department would like to thank the brave citizens, Wal-Mart staff, and community for the quick response and for being alert."
