A 4-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from a California restaurant by a suspected homeless woman, police said.
The Santa Monica Police Department said a "frantic" grandmother called police at 12:11 p.m. local time when she and her 4-year-old granddaughter were having lunch at a Panda Express restaurant.
Police were on the scene "within minutes" desperately searching for the disappeared child, authorities said.
Video footage revealed that the suspect was a heavyset white female in her 30s.
Other crimesAt 12:37 p.m., officers located the suspect and child in a room at the Holiday Motel.
"Thankfully, the child was unharmed, and the suspect was taken into custody," police said.
The alleged abduction comes after a 73-year-old woman was assaulted by a homeless man in May.
The woman said she was on her daily morning walk and tried to get out of his way so he could pass, but "he intentionally pushed her to the ground," resulting in a back injury and cuts on her hands, police said.
About a week beforehand, a homeless man was arrested for the attempted rape of a female jogger.
"Everybody knows that Santa Monica is not what it was three or four years ago," one resident told FOX 11. "Every day is something new."
Homeless person allegedly abducts 4-year-old at California restaurant amid uptick of crime
Resident said that Santa Monica, California is "not what it used to be" after a 4-year-old was abducted by a homeless woman.
31-year-old Breanna Shields was taken into custody.
Last edited:
