SANTA MONICA, Calif — Courtney Perrone, 39, was arrested for allegedly attempting to kidnap an 8-year-old girl in Santa Monica. The incident took place when the child was helping her neighbor, considered a family friend, load pets into a car.
Perrone approached them, claimed the girl was her daughter, and said she was a Russian police officer. She then tried to take the child, leading to a struggle with the neighbor.
Perrone briefly threatened him with a switchblade before fleeing the scene. Police found Perrone shortly after in a nearby grocery store parking lot, where witnesses identified her as the suspect.
Authorities revealed she was homeless and living out of her BMW.
Perrone has a criminal history, including prior arrests for assault and battery, resisting arrest, drug possession, and trespassing. She was recently released by the Los Angeles Police Department for an alleged assault due to insufficient evidence. Perrone is also on probation from a case in Nevada and has an outstanding warrant in New Hampshire.
She now faces charges of attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, and a misdemeanor weapons charge for the switchblade
