Mother, 2-year-old daughter recovering after random stabbing at school bus stop
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A mother and her 2-year-old child are recovering after they were stabbed in Providence, Rhode Island.
The incident was caught on surveillance cameras, and the suspect made his first court appearance Thursday, one day after the attack.
Police say the attack was completely random.
"Just ran straight, straight to the baby," nursing assistant Jessie Palmer said.
A witness said there was no hesitation after a man suddenly snapped violently, attacking a 2-year-old little girl and her mom while they were waiting at a school bus stop.
"I helped the baby out the carriage. And when I saw she was bleeding, I like put her to the floor, and I was putting pressure," Palmer said. "Another lady came and stopped in the middle of the street. She came and helped me apply the pressure, and then the baby stopped breathing; so we had to stop performing CPR and breathing for the baby until the ambulance came."
Palmer was also waiting for the school bus in a car with her own child when she heard a scream, and saw the suspect attacking the victims.
Palmer said the suspect went straight to the toddler.
SEE ALSO:Man charged with harassment in Philadelphia cheesesteak assault, police say
"He pushed her (the mother) out of the way because she tried to shield the baby with her body, and he pushed her out of the way and stabbed her and then went back to the baby," Palmer said.
While palmer was working to save the little girl's life, surveillance video shows other good Samaritans chased the suspect down a side street, all while he's seemingly still holding a knife.
Top Stories
Police say those bystanders eventually cornered him before he ran into a home, terrifying an older woman who was inside.
Officers arrived and arrested Nelson Blanco.
He went before a judge Thursday.
He'd also been charged for stabbing kids in another case from 2003.
"That man's evil and what he did was wrong, and I don't even think jail's enough punishment for him," Palmer said.
Blanco was out of custody when Wednesday's stabbing took place.
He's facing several new charges.
It's unclear if he was granted bail on Thursday.
