A man wielding a machete unsuccessfully tried to kidnap a child inside a Walmart Friday, and when he was chased from the store, he tried to snatch an infant in the parking lot, police said.
Billy Yoe Budier-Herrera, 33, approached a woman and her 2-year-old son, who was seated in a shopping cart. He told her the boy would die if she did not listen to his instructions, according to Kenner Police.
She tried to walk away. Buddier-Herrera blocked her path and placed his hand on the handle of the machete, police said. The woman asked employees for help and grabbed her son and ran behind a deli counter. Employees chased the fleeing Budier-Herrera, who started swinging his machete at them.
Budier-Herrera continued to run through the parking lot when he saw another mother and her infant, who was strapped into a shopping cart, according to investigators. He tried to grab the child but could not remove the straps before being tackled by employees and an off-duty police officer who was working at the store.
Budier-Herrera was in possession of the 10-inch machete, pepper spray and a shiv made with a plastic handle and razor blades taped to it, police said.
He was arrested and charged with second-degree kidnapping, aggravated assault, illegal carrying of weapons, disturbing the peace and an immigration detainer, according to police.
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