For the second time this year, a mentally ill Los Angeles woman was arrested on suspicion of trying to kidnap a child in Koreatown.
Her previous conviction for attempted kidnapping resulted in her being placed in a diversion program for a mental health disorder that the court deemed relevant to her original crime.
But on Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Department officers received a report that a woman approached the child at Seoul International Park in the 3200 block of San Marino Street around 5 p.m., and police said she attempted another kidnapping, police said.
Witnesses who spoke with police said the woman, Yara Vanessa Pineda, approached several children and picked them up, KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported. Then he let them go.
Pineda, 27, allegedly dropped the children off after their parents confronted her and she ran away.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Jader Chaves said officers saw Pineda running along Normandy Avenue and attempted to arrest her. Chavez said she resisted and officers used a Taser to subdue her.
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested her on February 28 after allegedly trying to kidnap a young boy from a Target store.
Police reports state that on Feb. 25, Olympic department officers responded to reports that Pineda allegedly grabbed a 4-year-old child from behind and removed him from the store.
Pineda allegedly dropped the child off after her parents confronted her outside. Family members told police they did not know Pineda.
Three days later, North Hollywood-area police received a call from a person who had seen Pineda and recognized her from a community alert police had issued. She was discovered during the attempted kidnapping and arrested.
On May 21, Pineda was sentenced to a two-year mental health diversion program. It’s unclear from court records why she was recently released after her last arrest.
According to the California State Hospital Division, courts can authorize mental health diversion for individuals charged with felonies if they have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and receiving treatment in the community would not pose a significant safety risk. However, the charges cannot be murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape or lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 14 years of age.
The diagnosis may be schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder.
Pineda’s diagnosis was not revealed in court documents.
Mental health diversion is granted when the court finds that a mental health disorder played a role in the criminal behavior.
