Yesterday: He apologized because law enforcement personnel ripped a 1-year-old from his mother’s arms at a government building in Brooklyn on Friday.

The woman, Jazmine Headley, had been sitting on the floor of the Human Resources Administration building in Boerum Hill. She said she had waited four hours for service and that there were no seats.

And whom did Mr. de Blasio blame? Not the police but the city officials who called them after Ms. Headley got into a dispute with a security guard.

“I want to issue a formal apology to Ms. Headley, and I’d be very happy to talk to her as well,” Mr. de Blasio told reporters on Wednesday.

“By the time N.Y.P.D. arrived, this situation was already out of control.”

Look ahead: The entire incident, captured on bystander videos, is under review.