Homeless person allegedly abducts toddler from Santa Monica restaurant
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A toddler was safely found after they were allegedly abducted at a Santa Monica restaurant in broad daylight Friday.
According to police, the 4-year-old girl was kidnapped from a Panda Express restaurant on Pico and Lincoln boulevards around 12:11 p.m.
Police say the child's grandmother called 911 to report the kidnapping.
More than 30 officers swarmed the area, gathering video evidence, attempting to locate the alleged kidnapper, later identified as 31-year-old Breanna Shields.
Around 12:37 p.m., officers located Shields and child in a room at the Holiday Motel on 11th Street and Pico Blvd.
Shields, who is believed to be homeless, was taken into custody. Santa Monica police say she has been living at the motel for an extended period of time.
The child was unharmed.
"Our heartfelt best wishes go out to the child and her family as they deal with the shock of this ordeal. We will do everything we can to make sure they are helped through this time and also to make sure no stone is left unturned in the investigation," the Santa Monica Police Department wrote in a statement.
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Residents in Santa Monica have recently seen a spike in crimes involving unhoused residents. In late June, a homeless man was arrested after attacking three women and attempting to drown one of them near the Santa Monica Pier.
"Everybody know that Santa Monica is not what it was three or four years ago. Everyday is something new," said one Santa Monica resident.
On May 23, a 73-year-old woman was assaulted by a homeless man near the 1600 block of Ocean Front Walk. 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 in the 2000 block of Ocean Front Walk.