In Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon, a child was hospitalized, and a woman was arrested for carjacking and endangering her children. Gwendolyn Gilmore, 48, of Pittsburgh, is alleged to have committed the carjacking just after 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of Knox Avenue and Freeland Street in the Allentown neighborhood, as reported by WTAE. Witnesses claim to have witnessed Gilmore forcefully removing a driver from their vehicle before driving away with a small child in the back seat.
As the situation swiftly escalated, police were to later locate Gilmore at a residential area on Moore Avenue in Knoxville, accompanied by two small children. Attempts by officers to peacefully resolve the confrontation were unsuccessful. Despite demands for her to drop the weapon, Gilmore reportedly held the children close to her chest, according to WTAE. To safely apprehend her, police decided to utilize their Tasers.
The arrest took a harrowing turn when, according to CBS News Pittsburgh, an officer used a Taser and inadvertently struck one of the children. One of the Taser probes hit the girl in the head, while the other struck Gilmore. This unfortunate incident triggered a seizure in the child, prompting an urgent medical response. The young girl was rushed to UPMC Children’s Hospital for treatment, while Gilmore received medical attention before being taken into custody.
Gilmore now faces multiple charges, including robbery of a motor vehicle and endangering the welfare of children. Reports by police indicate that after the use of a Taser, Gilmore was finally subdued, allowing officers to detach her from the children safely. Besides the child who suffered the seizure, the second child involved in the incident was not physically harmed and was released to the care of another adult. The condition of the hospitalized child was later stated to be stable.