It happened in Pasadena around 5 p.m. on Monday.
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Homeowner Arman Tchoukadarian told our sister station KABC-TV his mother-in-law was babysitting his 6-week-old daughter at the time, who was sleeping by a window.
"I get the notification from our doorbell and it's like a two-second clip of someone just smashing our door," he said.
The video shows the woman - who has since been identified by police as 65-year-old Beverly Baker - walk up to the property and begins swinging the pickax. She smashes several windows as she walks through the porch. You can also hear a woman scream in the background.
"My mother-in-law's first instinct was to grab the baby," said Tchoukadarian. "Two seconds later, all you see is huge shards of glass in the bassinet where she would be. It was a miracle she reacted fast enough or else my daughter would be dead."
When officers arrived to the home, Baker was gone, according to police.
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Neighbors helped officers track her down. After a 30-minute standoff, Baker was taken into custody.
Tchoukadarian said Baker destroyed a total of eight windows. Now, their home is boarded up as they stay with family at another location.
Police said Baker owns property in the immediate area of Tchoukadarian's home.
"It doesn't appear there was any relation between the suspect, Mrs. Baker, and the victims," said Commander Bill Grisafe with Pasadena Police. He said it appears Baker was "suffering some type of mental health crisis," though that has not been confirmed.
Police have estimated the amount in damages caused by Baker totals to about $20,000.
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"Everyone's still shaken up," said Tchoukadarian. "We built this house from scratch. We put all our savings into this house because it's a nice neighborhood. We grew up here, and this is how we get welcomed to the neighborhood."
Baker's arraignment is set for Wednesday.
Tchoukadarian said he's trying to file a restraining order against her as fast as possible.