Sara Orozco Magana, 37, of Santa Ana, is accused of showing up at a home on May 31 and telling an infant's mother that she was there to take her 1-week-old baby into protective custody.
The mother refused to hand over her child even when the suspect threatened to return with the sheriff's department, officials say.
The woman and her sisters captured cellphone video of the woman as she walked away and drove off in a white SUV.
After the images were released to the media, the suspect turned herself in to police and was positively identified by the child's mother. She acknowledged it was her in the video but denied she was trying to take the baby.
The suspect identified herself as Mayella Ortega in her interactions with the mother, but court records identify the defendant as Magana.
Magana has been charged with attempted kidnapping of a child under 14. She is out on bail and is due back in court on July 8.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8665.