Santa Monica woman arrested allegedly trying to kidnap 8-year-old girl
Santa Monica police arrested a woman after she allegedly tried to kidnap an 8-year-old girl while posing as a Russian police officer on Wednesday.
The suspect, 39-year-old Courtney Perrone, has multiple arrests in different states for resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, trespassing, assault, and battery, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Perrone for assault with a deadly weapon, but she was released because of insufficient evidence.
Investigators said she has outstanding warrants from New Hampshire for forgery and intimidation. She's currently out on probation for a 2024 assault with a deadly weapon conviction in Nevada.
Now, Perrone faces charges of attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment, both of which are felonies. Prosecutors also charged her with a misdemeanor of brandishing, according to SMPD.
Investigators claim the attempted kidnapping happened while the 8-year-old girl was helping her neighbor put several pets into a car. Perrone allegedly approached the pair, claiming to be Russian police and that she was taking the child away.
"She was like, 'I'm the Russian police, and I'm here to save you,'" said Mark, the neighbor who was with the girl.
Mark claimed the woman tried to convince the girl to leave with her before he told her to leave. Officers said she then knelt and tried to wrestle the kid away from Mark.
"She was acting like it was her kid," Mark recalled. "She ran towards her. She grabbed her. She held her cheek to check. It was just like she was trying to pull her."
Mark grabbed the child and put her in the front seat of his car. Perrone appeared to take down the vehicle information before trying to pull the girl out of Mark's car.
When he confronted her again, she pulled out a switchblade knife.
"I pushed the door shut and said, 'You better get out of here now,'" Mark said. "When I did that, she reached into her purse and she grabbed a switchblade and she put it towards me."
Mark said he backed up and jumped into her car before driving away as the woman ran after them.
"All I wanted to do was take care of her," he said. "I mean, I love her to death. I would give my life for her."
Officers tracked her down to a nearby Gelson's parking lot beside her white BMW. Police believe she was living in her car and appeared to be homeless.
Anyone with information about the case should contact Detective Jauregui at Martin.Jauregui@santamonica.gov or Sergeant Haro at David.Haro@santamonica.gov. You can also call the watch commander at (310) 458-8427 at any time of the day.
