Baby Injured as Mother Jumps From Overpass

A 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder early Monday after jumping off a freeway overpass with her 9-month-old son in her arms.

The infant, Charles Edward Lee Jr., suffered severe head injuries when he struck the pavement after falling 15 feet from the bridge above the Harbor Freeway, near 9th Street. He was in critical condition at County-USC Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Martha Broaden, who police said had recently arrived from Louisiana, was bruised slightly in the fall. She was being held in the medical center’s jail ward, where she was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.

At about 11 p.m. Sunday, Broaden and the baby were picked up by a taxi at the Greyhound bus station downtown, said Detective Vivian Gomez of the Los Angeles Police Department’s child abuse unit. When the cab reached the Harbor Freeway, the woman began to show signs of being distraught, Gomez said.

While the taxi was moving, Broaden opened her door and tried to exit, police said.

“The woman said something about someone trying to rob her,” Gomez said.

Police gave this account of what followed:

The cab driver pulled to the curb and Broaden jumped out. After running a short distance, Broaden straddled the overpass railing, hugged the baby close, and jumped.

Upon landing on the pavement near 9th and Sunbury streets, the 5-foot, 3-inch, 110-pound Broaden got up and continued to run, still clutching her baby.

Shortly after, officers arrested her.

Police, who were interviewing Broaden late Monday, said they were trying to determine whether she had been the victim of a robbery. Beyond that, officers refused to speculate about the woman’s motives and could not immediately provide any additional information about her background.