Woman in custody after allegedly attacking person babysitting at Lawrence park

LAWRENCE, Kan. — One Lawrence woman is behind bars after allegedly attacking another person at a park yesterday without any known motive.

The 33-year-old suspect was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated battery and child endangerment.

Lawrence police say she attacked a 25-year-old babysitter at Centennial Park.

The babysitter was holding a 4-year-old child at the time of the attack.

“We got there, and we investigated and found that this was an unprovoked attack where there was no real motive identified for what happened,” said Lawrence Police Sgt. Drew Fennelly. “What we learned was the female the suspect had chased this woman while she was carrying this four-year-old child and and struck her multiple times in the back with a dumbbell.”

Lawrence police say the suspect was believed to be living in the park.

The suspect aggressively approached a group of people supervising children at the playground.

The 25-year-old victim picked up the 4-year-old she was babysitting and attempted to get away, worried about the child’s safety.

That’s when police say the suspect struck her in the back multiple times.

“In this situation, the babysitter was aware of their surroundings, knew exactly what was going on, identified this threat that was approaching her before anything took place and was able to protect the child and get herself out of the area quickly. She handled it very well,” Fenelly said.

Fennelly said there isn’t any reason people should be afraid of visiting public parks following this incident. Still, it’s a good reminder of just how important situational awareness can be no matter where you are.

“This was a random a random act. It’s unpredictable. You never know when or where these types of things are going to happen,” Fennelly explained. ”Being generally aware of your surroundings can help you protect yourself in those situations, and that’s exactly what happened here. So paying attention to what’s happening around you is going to be the most important thing you can do to ensure your safety when you’re out and about in public.”

The 4-year-old child was not hurt.

The 25-year-old victim declined medical treatment.

Police say she will be okay physically but she was shaken up after the attack.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.