Woman Arrested For Attempted Kidnapping At Santa Rosa Trader Joe's
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- A woman was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a 4-year-old girl at a Trader Joe's in Santa Rosa Thursday morning, according to police.
Officers were dispatched to 2100 Santa Rosa Avenue, in the Santa Rosa Marketplace, around 10:35 a.m.
Police said a woman later identified as 41-year-old Tina Szczepanek, who they described as a transient from Lake County, grabbed the girl and said "something to the effect of 'she is mine'" before walking out of the store with the child.
The victim's mother was at the checkout stand when the kidnapping occurred. She ran after Szczepanek, caught up with her roughly 30 feet from the store and yelled to put the child down. Szczepanek did as she was ordered and fled, walking into the parking lot, according to police.
Police found Szczepanek in the parking lot and arrested her on suspicion of kidnapping.
© Copyright 2016 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed