ORLANDO, Fla. _ A Sanford woman tried to snatch a 10-month-old girl from her mother Wednesday afternoon in Casselberry and was arrested on a kidnapping charge, police said.
Investigators said Rita Ramirez, 39, couldn't explain why she tried to take the baby or what she planned to do next: "I'm sorry," she said, according to an arrest report. "I don't know why I did."
The incident happened about 4 p.m. Wednesday, when the child's mother, Sophia Guerrero, was leaving the Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers on State Road 436, the report said.
Guerrero told police she exited the business and began walking away on the sidewalk, her daughter walking beside her. That's when she said Ramirez approached and grabbed the girl.
Guerrero yanked her daughter away and ran back inside the business, but Ramirez followed and "continued to try and take the baby" until employees intervened, according to the report.
They ordered Ramirez out and escorted Guerrero to her vehicle, where she called 911, the report said.
According to police, Ramirez was found at a nearby car wash. She denied knowing Guerrero or her child and said she doesn't suffer from any mental heath or medical issues, the report said.
Ramirez was booked into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford on a charge of kidnapping a minor under 13 years of age. She was being held without bond Thursday, records show.
The first-degree felony charge carries the possibility of a life sentence.
