Day Care Provider Hangs Child, Injuries 2 While Fleeing
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Crime scene tape and flashing lights invaded a Minneapolis neighborhood after police were called to a day care Friday morning.
Officers were told a 16-month-old boy was found hanging inside the Uptown Day Care, located on the 2700 block of Humboldt Avenue South.
"A parent dropping off her child had removed the same toddler from the scene," said Minneapolis Police Assistant Chief Kris Arneson.
Investigators say once the toddler was taken out of harm's way, the day care provider -- later identified as 42-year-old Natalia Mykhaylivna Karia -- sped away in her gold minivan.
"At 9:57, a 911 call came in that there was a hit-and-run accident at 28th and Grand Avenue South," Arneson said.
Police say Karia hit a car. When the driver of that car got out to see what was going on, Karia allegedly drove into the man and dragged him for several blocks.
"At 9:59, a 911 call came in that the same vehicle hit a person on a bicycle on 28th and Park Avenue South," Arneson said.
This time, Karia hit a man on his bike, and once again, she kept going.
But Karia did not get far. The day care provider made it to the Park Avenue Bridge and attempted to jump onto Interstate 94 below.
"There were citizens on the scene holding the person down so she could not jump," Arneson said. "Minneapolis Police arrived shortly after that and joined in the struggle to prevent her from going over the edge onto the freeway."
There were 13 minutes between the first 911 call and the moment Karia was taken into custody.
Hennepin County officials issued the day care license for Uptown Day Care in 2009, and say there have been no problems there.
Karia was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment while in police custody. She will later be transferred to Hennepin County Jail
The child is expected to be OK. The driver of the car that was hit suffered some broken bones and abrasions, and is in critical condition. The extent of the bicyclist's injuries are not know, but police say both men are expected to survive. The identities of the victims have not been released.
There were six other children inside the day care at the time of the incident; none of them were hurt.