State police in California say a woman who said she was “Russian police” tried to kidnap an 8-year-old girl and then stabbed a man who defended the child.
Courtney Perrone, 39, is charged with trying to kidnap a person younger than 14 years old, intimidating someone into giving up their freedom, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to Santa Monica cops and Los Angeles prosecutors, the 8-year-old victim was in an alley helping an adult neighbor put his dogs into his vehicle.
Police wrote, “The suspect came up to them and said she was Russian police and that she was taking the child.” The neighbor and Perrone start to tug at each other after Perrone kneels down and wraps her arms around the child.
The neighbor told Perrone to leave and put the child in the front seat of his car. She didn’t pay attention to him and tried to open the car door anyway. When the neighbor spoke to her again, Perrone pulled out a switchblade knife.
Perrone is said to have run away on foot to the parking lot of a Gelson’s store, where she had left the white BMW she was living in. Police caught her and put a $135,000 bond on her head.
Perrone could spend up to six and a half years in jail. She said she wasn’t guilty at her hearing on Friday, and her lawyers said they weren’t sure she was ready to face the charges. On September 9, there will be a meeting.
This is not her first time in trouble with the law. Police said she has a past of crimes and is currently facing warrants in New Hampshire for forgery and stalking. She is on probation outside of Nevada because she was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon in 2024.
Police also said that people were arrested out of state for assault and battery, resisting arrest, having a controlled drug, and trespassing.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement, “The trauma and fear that this innocent child has experienced are unimaginable. We want to assure her, her family, the second victim, and our community that we will pursue justice with the full force of the law.” “Trying to take a child hostage is a terrible crime.”
We will do everything we can to make sure that justice is done and that this brave girl can start to heal. When victims and their families need help, our Bureau of Victim Services is ready to offer services that are sensitive to their needs.