Courtney Perrone, 39, is accused of putting her arms around the child and trying to wrestle her away from a neighbor.
Officers responded to a call of a suspicious person in the 800 block of the alley south of Maple Street, just north of Ocean Park Boulevard, around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Santa Monica police.
Perrone, who allegedly tried to flee after the unsuccessful kidnapping attempt, was found next to her BMW in a Gelson's parking lot. She was identified as the suspect by witnesses, police said.
After investigating, police said Perrone approached the child who was helping a neighbor put several pets into a vehicle. The neighbor, who identified himself only as Mark, said the little girl is like family to him, so he knew he needed to act fast.
"She's like my niece, I'm like her 'Uncle Markie,'" he said. "When we went to get into the car, I was reaching for the keys ... this lady came running up and she's like, 'That's my daughter, that's my daughter.' She was acting like it was her kid."
Perrone allegedly said she was a Russian police officer and that she was taking the child.
"She had lipstick all over her face and just looked a little crazy and stuff," said Mark. "She's like, 'I'm the Russian police and I'm here to save you.'"
Police said Perrone then knelt and put her arms around the child, prompting "a tug of war" between Mark and Perrone.
Mark put the child in the front seat of his vehicle and told Perrone to leave.
"I said, 'You better get out of here now,' and I have my keys and stuff," said Mark. "When I did that, she reached into her purse and grabbed a switchblade and she put it towards me."
At that point, Perrone left the scene and was later detained. Police said the child was not harmed.
"She's a brave little girl, she put her foot against the door. She was screaming, 'Leave me alone!'" recalled Mark.
He said after the ordeal, the little girl even asked about him.
"She told me, she's like, 'I saw her holding the knife and I thought she was going to get you,' and I said, 'It's okay. We're safe now. God was watching over us.'"
New details on Courtney Perrone
Perrone has prior out-of-state arrests for assault and battery, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and trespassing, according to Santa Monica police. Police said she appears to be homeless and living out of her BMW.
Perrone was recently released for insufficient evidence by the Los Angeles Police Department for an alleged assault with a deadly weapon. She is also currently on probation, stemming from a case in Nevada, and has an outstanding warrant for her arrest from New Hampshire.
Santa Monica police reported that this is Perrone's first contact with the department and will be arraigned Friday. She faces felony charges of attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment, a misdemeanor charge for the knife.
City News Service contributed to this report.