Stranger stabs mother multiple times in NYC street as she tries to protect three-year-old child

The suspect allegedly pulled out a large knife and stabbed the victim, according to the NYPD

A New York City woman was taken into custody after she allegedly stabbed a mother and threatened to harm her three-year-old daughter.

Lequasiah Lawrence, 25, has been charged with felony assault and attempted murder in connection with the Monday stabbing. The New York Police Department said in a statement that a woman believed to be Ms Lawrence approached the 34-year-old mother and her daughter as they walked in Downtown Brooklyn.

The suspect and the victim began arguing and the suspect pulled out a large knife that she allegedly used to stab the mother in her chest and legs. Throughout the attack, the victim positioned herself between her attacker and her daughter, who was in a stroller. She told police that the woman allegedly threatened to harm the toddler.

“I didn’t provoke her,” the mother, whose name was not published, told The New York Post. “I don’t know this person. I don’t want her to stab my daughter. I can handle myself. It’s real crazy. All I saw was she was going for my daughter and I had to step in.

The mother said that she suffered six stab wounds and was taken to Jamaica Hospital to be treated for her injuries. Her daughter was not injured in the attack.

The suspect fled the scene and was arrested on Wednesday.

Lequasiah Lawrence, 25, has been charged with felony assault and attempted murder in connection with the Monday stabbing (NYPD)

A construction worker who witnessed the incident told the Post that the women had a verbal argument before it turned physical.

“The other woman didn’t mind her business. She was saying, ‘Why you screaming at the baby?” the worker said. “The woman with her baby said, ‘It’s none of your business.’ They started arguing.”