Within 30 minutes of getting the call for the kidnapping, police were patting down and cuffing the 36-year-old suspect.
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"Everybody got involved, this was a big deal," said SFPD Lt. Martha Juarez.
Just before 9 a.m. on Sherman Street, police say a 6-month-old was inside the vehicle while her father prepared a bottle for her a short distance away. That's when police say a woman snatched the baby and boarded a Muni bus.
"I think she saw an opportunity and took the baby," said Lt. Juarez.
Police alerted SFMTA.
"Our operators are trained to respond to emergency situations like these and these operators did just that," said SFMTA Spokesperson Paul Rose.
When the first bus stopped, the woman got off and boarded another.
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"This is a very rare situation," Rose continued.
The second bus driver then also stopped.
ABC7 News was at Bayshore Boulevard and Arleta as police escorted the woman off the bus. When ABC7 News asked her if she kidnapped a baby, she said no.
The baby's mother rushed to the scene where officers consoled her as she was reunited with her child before being taken to the hospital for an evaluation. Police say there was no report of injuries to the baby. The relationship between the baby's family and the suspect is unknown.
"That one second one minute that baby can be gone, you have to keep an eye on your children," said Lt. Juarez.
SFMTA's spokesperson says they've turned over surveillance video from the Muni buses to police.