MILLCREEK — A man was arrested Tuesday and charged Friday with trying to take a woman's child while she was on a TRAX platform.
Benjamin Dillman, 56, who is homeless, is charged in 3rd District with attempted child kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and assault, a class B misdemeanor.
"The defendant, in this matter, approached an unsuspecting woman at a TRAX station and attempted to remove her child from the carrier, claiming the child was his. When the child's mother attempted to fight back, the defendant struck her in the face," according to charging documents.
Just after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, police say Dillman approached a woman and her child, who was in a stroller, at the Meadowbrook TRAX Station, 188 W. 3900 South.
"Benjamin approached the stroller, causing (the mother) to feel uncomfortable. (She) began to walk away, pushing (her child). Benjamin followed (the woman) and told her, 'This is my baby, give her to me,'" according to a police booking affidavit.
Dillman shoved the mother's face and grabbed her child. The woman said Dillman "was actively trying to get (the child) out of the seat belt straps" when a bystander stepped in and pushed Dillman away, the affidavit states.
Dillman then left the area and got onto the Red Line train. He was arrested after getting off at the Fashion Place West Station, according to the Utah Transit Authority.
Police say the incident was recorded on a UTA surveillance camera.
