DES MOINES, Iowa – An Iowa mother who was armed with a weapon protected her son by fending off two suspects that tried to take her child while in a Des Moines skywalk, according to reports.
Two would-be kidnappers, identified as Michael Ernest Ross, 43, and Laurie Lynn Potter, 57, repeatedly walked near the front of the Hubbell Tower Apartments on Jan. 5. Shay Lindberg, who works as the apartment manager, eventually opened the door to ask the pair if there was a problem. Lindberg’s son was at her side, Fox station KDSM in Des Moines reported.
As Lindberg opened the door and engaged the suspects in conversation, one of the two tried to snatch the child, whose age was not provided. However, Lindberg was in possession of a gun and managed to fend off the perpetrators.
Following the attempted child abduction, Lindberg called Will Hunter of Per Mar Security Services. He recognized Potter based on the descriptions provided.
The Skywalk Association hired the security firm in 2020 due to crime. The company told KDSM they take the names of anyone who causes issues there.
Hunter notified police and provided the names of Ross and Potter, while following the pair until officers arrived to detain and subsequently arrest them, Fox News reported.
Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department told KDSM that this was an example of someone in legal possession of a firearm doing something well with it.
“It certainly looks like the big turning point here, the pivotal piece to keeping her child safe was the fact that she was lawfully-armed with a handgun, and she produced it and told them ‘let go of my kid,’” Parizek said.
According to Polk County Jail records, Potter and Ross were booked and charged with felony Child Stealing on Jan. 5.
Potter was on probation and also charged with two counts of violating her probation.
No further details were available and Des Moines Police did not immediately respond to inquiries about the incident on Sunday evening.
