A man was arrested after he walked into a Walmart in Kenner, Louisiana, and used a machete to try and kidnap children.
Billy Yoe Budier-Herrera, 33 first tried to take a 2-year-old boy and then an infant, as he brandished his blade.
Budier-Herrera entered the Walmart at approximately 2 p.m. with his backpack. He first approached the mother of a 2-year-old child and told her if she did not obey him, she would die.
The mother tried walking away but he blocked her path and placed his hand on the handle of a machete. At that moment the mother, fearing for her life, asked for help from store employees.
At the same time, Budier-Herrera grabbed the 2-year-old and attempted to flee with the child. But the victim’s mother held onto her child as a struggle followed.
“The victim’s mother ran behind the counter with her child in the deli section of the store, as store employees arrived to intervene,” a police press released said. “Budier-Herrera then fled from store employees into the meat/poultry section of the store, which caused alarm to other customers.”
As he was fleeing, he turned around and “aggressively swung” his machete at the employees chasing him.
Still running, he then saw another mother and her infant child strapped in the child seat of a grocery cart. He tried removing the infant from the cart but couldn’t because of the seat strap.
Budier-Herrera was then tackled by store employees and a Kenner police officer who was working on an off-duty detail inside the store.
At the time of the arrest, police said they found a 10-inch machete, pepper spray, and a makeshift shiv made out of a plastic handle, razor blades, and duct tape.
As of Friday, he remained in custody with no set bond. He was also charged with an immigration detainer.
Any witnesses are asked to contact Kenner Police Detective Vincent Miranti at (504) 712-2330, Sgt. Jeff Adams at (504) 712-2310, or Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111.
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