Mother and 2-year-old stabbed in unprovoked attack in Providence, Rhode Island

A mother and her 2-year-old daughter are recovering after being stabbed in an unprovoked attack in Providence, Rhode Island, on Wednesday afternoon.

Police arrested 46-year-old Nelson Blanco for the assault and charged him with attempted murder.

Police said Blanco approached the mother, in her late 20s, who had her daughter as they were waiting for her older child at a school bus stop in the area of Broad Street and Public Street. 

The child was in a stroller when police allege Blanco stabbed her multiple times in the face, chest and hands. Then he allegedly stabbed the mother in her shoulder before he ran away.

Authorities said witnesses ran after him and followed Blanco as he broke into a stranger's home and tried to hide in the basement.

In court on Thursday, Blanco confessed to the crimes but did not express a motive.

"As a parent, as a member of this community, as the chief of police, I cannot overstate how heartbreaking this incident is," said Colonel Oscar Perez of the Providence Police Department.

Authorities confirmed Blanco has a lengthy rap sheet dating back more than 20 years.

He had been arrested by roughly half a dozen agencies in Rhode Island, was charged with randomly stabbing two 7-year-olds in 2003 and was just deemed mentally unfit for a domestic violence trial in July of this year.

Blanco, who police said was unhoused, was held on a $200,000 bail. He has a court date later this month.