A group of bystanders came to the defense of a mother and her child during the abduction attempt.
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Police said a tourist from Missouri was walking with a child when a homeless woman in her 30s approached her and exchanged words at 9:30 a.m. The homeless woman then attempted to take the child and a bystander heard the commotion and held the suspect until police arrived, authorities said.
"A mother and her 2-and-a-half-year-old son were walking through the promenade of the Ferry Building when they were accosted by an adult female subject who began to yell at them and made some sort of comment and then grabbed for the child," San Francisco Police Department Captain Jack Hart said.
That's when a group of people came to the mother's defense, separating the suspect and holding her down.
SFPD said the mother and the woman did not know each other.
An employee who spoke with ABC7 News didn't want her face shown. "Other people had grabbed the woman and wrestled her to the ground and sat on her while the police came," she said.
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The family from Missouri was visibly upset as they left the Ferry Building and didn't want to talk to anyone.
Police said they were offering the mother support to help her deal with the incident. "We hope to restore their dignity, their positivity and their hope and their physical safety and well-being. We have escorted them back to our police station," Hart said.
Those who work at the Ferry Building assured ABC7 News this had never happened there before, a place packed with locals and tourists.
Police said they are investigating the motive for the attempted kidnapping.
The mom and the child were not injured according to police.