Zariyah Brown (left) and Deon Brown (right) are seen with their mother, Tivice Evans.

The kids were found inside the St. John Baptist Church at 2001 South "J" Street around 6:30 p.m. One-year-old Zariyah Brown and 3-year-old Deon Brown did not appear to be harmed.

The children were found in the company of their mother, 21-year-old Tivice Evans, and the mother's boyfriend, 25-year-old Ahzariyah Yasharahla.

DSHS officials said they took the kids from their mother six days ago due to extensive abuse.

But Evans and Yasharahla said DSHS took the children under a false impression. Yasharahla, who is not the father of the two kids, said "the state (is) trying to kidnap our children."

Evans said social workers misinterpreted her son's skin condition and the resulting sores as signs of abuse by her boyfriend.

"What we ask them to do is just search his records," Yasharahla added.

Neighbors have said Yasharahla has violently beaten Deon. But Evans and Yasharahla said while they do discipline the boy, they never hit him.

"I tell him to get in push-up position. I don't put my hands on him," Yasharahla said.

Evans lamented over the fact that the state would be taking her children away from her for the second time.

"I don't want them to take my children. I don't want them to take my children," she said.

When police arrived to take the children away, Evans shed tears, giving each of her children a hug before they were taken. As she watched her kids being driven away, Evans said, "(It's) like somebody is ripping my heart out and stepping on it."

An Amber Alert was issued around 3 p.m. after the two kids were kidnapped from a DSHS office in Tacoma.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said the mother and her boyfriend were at the DSHS office Wednesday morning for a supervised visit.

"During that visit they walked out of the facility with the kids," Fulghum said.

Evans later told KOMO News that she had decided to take the kids after talking to her son.

"I looked at my son, and the first thing he said was 'where have you been?'" she said, "like a stab in my heart. Where have I been, like I wanted this to happen, you know. And I asked him for a hug and he was hesitant.

"I asked him, 'what do you wanna do?' He said, 'take me home.' So I did," she said.

Evans said she didn't know taking the kids with her would be illegal. She said she was only thinking about their well-being at the time.

DSHS officials said the supervisor, who was in the room at the time, and the security guards could not do anything to stop the mother from taking her kids.

"Social workers don't have any authority to detain people. We can't physically stop them from going anywhere," said Nancy Sutton of DSHS. "So she talked to her, she called out to her, but she can't physically stop her from leaving. And it's the same with the security, the building security. They're not law enforcement officers."

Parents of Yasharahla told KOMO News that the Amber Alert was issued as the result of a big misunderstanding. Agatha Hill, the man's mother, said Child Protective Services illegally took the children away from their mother. Evans was only trying to get them back, Hill said.

"And when she went in there and they still did not have a court date, she said 'I have my children. I'm leaving. You took them illegally. I'm taking my children back,"' said Hill.

The pastor of St. John Baptist Church told KOMO News that police promised not to file kidnapping charges against the couple. Police have not confirmed this statement.

Evans' custody hearing will be held on Thursday in Tacoma.