Alvina Omisri Agba, 23, was arrested at Miami International Airport on Tuesday after allegedly taking a four-year-old boy from his mother and refusing to hand him back
A British holidaymaker has been apprehended after allegedly snatching a four year old lad from his mother and refusing to return him at an airport.
Alvina Omisri Agba, 23, was arrested at Miami International Airport on Tuesday when police discovered her sitting on the floor with the child.
The boy’s mother reportedly asked Agba to hand back her son, but the tourist from Luton, Bedfordshire, is claimed to have retorted: “No, this is my child.”
It’s believed that the child was in tears while he and his mum were queuing at the check-in desk at the US airport. Agba then purportedly offered to take the child to soothe him, to which the parent consented.
However, according to the Miami Herald, Agba wandered off with the boy and, when police officers located her, she allegedly had her arms and legs wrapped around the child, preventing him from escaping.
This reportedly resulted in a tussle between Agba and the mother over the child in the airport.
Agba was eventually arrested after officers and airport staff managed to defuse the situation.
It’s understood that the child sustained deep scratches to his neck, but was ultimately fit enough to board his flight with his mother, reports the Mirror.
Agba, hailing from Luton, is facing charges of interfering with custody and battery, and is currently detained at the Turner Guilford Correctional Center on a $3,500 (£2,600) bond.
Local media reports indicate that she was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.
Dayanis Ojeda, a check-in desk supervisor at the airport, remembered the chaos that unfolded.
Dayanis told Local 10 News: “Once [my colleague] took the boy to the counter, the lady went inside the counter and we called 911.”
It’s claimed Agba crawled beneath the counter and insisted staff surrender the young child, but three men stepped in and blocked her route. The suspect allegedly then fled the scene, though deputies managed to pursue her and place her under arrest.
Upon being read her rights, Agba reportedly told officers she was merely taking the child to a rainbow-painted wall, believing it would soothe him.
She also purportedly claimed she couldn’t recall what transpired when the boy’s mother arrived to collect her son from her, stating she “only did it because God told her to do it.”
It remains unknown whether Agba and the boy and his mother are acquainted with each other.
#Brit #tourist #grabs #crying #boy #mum #refuses #hand #airport
