A woman who tried to throttle a one-year-old boy in a pram is detained in a mental health facility, police have said.
CCTV footage of the incident at a branch of Boots on the Strand emerged earlier this week.
It showed the stranger calmly approaching the mother and child before carrying out the attack, in which she was alleged by chemist staff to have said: "this baby would rather be dead".
Police said the mother of the baby had originally thought the woman was going to just look and fuss over her child, but when she saw what was happening she immediately grabbed the suspect’s hand to pull her away.
The child was said to be have unhurt but left badly shaken and “traumatised” by the incident, which took place around lunchtime on January 16.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "Following information received, officers believe they have identified the woman shown in the CCTV footage. On Wednesday, February 18, it was established that the woman is detained in a mental health facility. She has not been arrested at this time."
