MALIBU (CNS) - A woman was in custody today for allegedly trying to snatch the 9-month-old grandchild of NFL legend Joe Montana from a Malibu home, only to be thwarted by Montana and his wife Jennifer.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Lost Hills station were flagged down by a man they recognized as Montana at about 5 p.m. Saturday. Montana told them his nine-month-old grandchild was sleeping in the playpen when an unknown female entered the residence in the 22100 block of Pacific Coast Highway, removed the child from the playpen and held the baby in her arms.
"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,'' sheriff's officials said.
The suspect fled the location. Deputies searched the area, and the woman -- identified as Sodsai Dalzell -- was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping and burglary.
Montana tweeted about the incident Sunday afternoon, writing: "Thank you to everyone who has reached out. Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well. We appreciate respect for our privacy at this time.''
The sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills station urged anyone with information regarding the attempted abduction to call them at 818-878-1808.