A woman entered the Malibu home of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and tried to kidnap his grandchild Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The woman took the child from a playpen in the living room and walked upstairs where Montana and his wife confronted her, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
“Mr. Montana, and his wife Jennifer, confronted the female, attempted to de-escalate the situation, and asked for the suspect to give back their grandchild. A tussle ensued and Mrs. Montana was able to safely pry the child out of the suspect’s arms,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
The woman then fled to a nearby house, where she was found and arrested by deputies who Montana flagged down for help around 5 p.m. while they were on patrol in the 22100 block of Pacific Coast Highway, officials said.
The woman was identified as 39-year-old Sodsai Dalzel, who has been booked on suspicion of kidnapping and burglary, according to the department.
Dalzel was booked into a Lynwood detention facility and is being held on $150,000 bail, according to county inmate records.
The baby was not hurt and no other injuries were reported, officials said.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out. Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well,” Montana wrote on Twitter. “We appreciate respect for our privacy at this time.”
Montana is best known for playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He was named the Super Bowl MVP three times and was elected to the Football Hall of Fame in 2000.