Woman 'who tried to kidnap two children' in Atlanta airport arrested

The attempted kidnapper was allegedly in a 'frenzied state' and 'experiencing mental distress'

A woman who attempted to kidnap two children at the Atlanta Airport has been arrested, police say.

Esther Daniels, 26, from Kansas, was detained by police following an incident in which a woman attempted to wrestle a pram containing a baby girl away from her mother.

CCTV footage showed a suspect approach a family of five in the terminal building and attempted to grab the stroller, before trying to pick up one of the other children, a 6-year-old boy, and run off. The father was seen tugging the child back into his arms.

A police officer approached as the altercation became more physical and the woman attempted to run, but was quickly apprehended.

After attempting to fight back against the officers and lunging at the family one more time, she was taken down and physically restrained by three police officers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the children have no physical injuries from the attempted kidnapping.

Police said the suspect was “experiencing mental distress”, was “speaking unintelligibly on her cellphone” and was “in a frenzied state” during the alleged attempted kidnapping.

Ms Daniels was taken to a local hospital after the incident, where she was medically cleared before she was booked at Clayton County jail. She has been charged with kidnapping and obstructing an officer and is being held without bail.