Woman accused of stabbing boy in bank robbery charged

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. – A woman accused of stabbing a 12-year-old boy in the back three times as she tried to rob a Northern California bank was charged with attempted murder Wednesday, authorities said.

The boy was in stable condition after surgery, San Leandro police Lt. Robert McManus said.

Iyona Dzshae Hammond, 32, of Oakland went into a Wells Fargo branch in San Leandro, a city on the east side of San Francisco Bay, on Monday morning and walked over to the customer-waiting area.

She demanded money from a customer and the boy and then stabbed him while he was sitting in a lounge chair. McManus said she was arrested with blood on her hands and scissors. No money was taken, and no one else was injured.

McManus said the boy didn’t know the woman and didn’t do anything to trigger the stabbing.

A working telephone number for Hammond couldn’t be found. The Alameda County Public Defender’s Office said it was not currently representing her.

“This was a tragic event and we are hopeful the boy’s recovery will continue to go well,” said Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido. “We also commend the courage demonstrated by store team members and the San Leandro Police Department’s quick response, resulting in bringing this incident to an end.”