Joe Montana, wife block attempted kidnapping of grandchild

LOS ANGELES — Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and his wife confronted a home intruder who attempted to kidnap their 9-month-old grandchild over the weekend, law enforcement officials confirmed on Sunday.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Montana told deputies that his grandchild was sleeping in a playpen on Saturday when an unknown woman entered their home in Malibu and grabbed the child. Montana and his wife, Jennifer, confronted the woman, whom authorities later identified as Sodsai Dalzell, tried to “de-escalate the situation” and asked her to give back their grandchild.

After a tussle, law enforcement officials say Jennifer Montana pried the child out of Dalzell’s arms.

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out,” the former San Francisco 49ers star tweeted. “Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well. We appreciate respect for our privacy at this time.”

The sheriff’s office says that Dalzell fled the home but was later arrested. She faces kidnapping and burglary charges.

It wasn’t immediately known if Dalzell had a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.

The sheriff’s office declined to release anymore information, citing that the case was still ongoing.

Montana, 64, who grew up in Washington County and graduated from Ringgold High School, retired after the 1994 season, playing 13 years of his 15 year-career with the San Francisco 49ers, which won four Super Bowls with him as starting quarterback.