Fortunately, the suspect was found in less than 30 minutes and the child was safely recovered.
The incident unfolded just after noon Friday at a Panda Express restaurant in the 1900 block of Lincoln Boulevard. At 12:11 p.m. police received a frantic call for help from a woman who said her 4-year-old granddaughter had been abducted.
Witnesses say the woman had gone to the counter to pay for the meal and somehow the suspect lured the little girl to walk outside with her. They started walking down Pico Boulevard and were out of sight before the grandmother realized the girl was missing.
Officers showed up within a minute of the call and collected video images of the incident and the suspected kidnapper, a woman in her 30s.
"There were at least 30 of our department personnel out searching for her," said Santa Monica police Lt. Erika Aklufi. "That includes our officers, civilian personnel, our public services officers. We had a drone. We had a K9 out. Literally any available person was out looking for her."
By 12:37 p.m., officers had found the woman in a room at the Holiday Motel at 11th Street and Pico Boulevard. They had shown the images to the motel manager who recognized the suspect as someone who had been living there.
They took the suspect into custody and returned the unharmed child to her family.
She was later identified as Breanna Taylor Shields, 31. She was booked on kidnapping charges, with a potential sentencing enhancement because of the age of the victim.
"Our heartfelt best wishes go out to the child and her family as they deal with the shock of this ordeal," a Santa Monica police statement said."We will do everything we can to make sure they are helped through this time and to make sure no stone is left unturned in the investigation."