NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — A 69-year-old woman was killed after a robbery attempt Tuesday afternoon at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, police said.
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Officers responded to the area near the Barnes & Noble bookstore around 3:30 p.m.
According to the Newport Beach Police Department, the woman and her husband were walking when two suspects suddenly approached them.
They tried to rob the couple and a struggle ensued, police said. The suspects then tried taking off in a white Toyota Camry.
“One of the suspects ran while the vehicle fled and actually struck the female victim,” said Newport Beach Police Public Information Officer Steve Oberon. “The male suspect that ran got back into the vehicle at which point some rounds were fired from a handgun and the vehicle fled the scene.”
Initially, reports indicated the woman had been shot but police later confirmed she had been fatally struck by the Camry. No one was struck by gunfire, police said.
During a press conference Tuesday, police said at one point, one of the suspects had dragged the woman on the street during the robbery. Oberon said her husband was not believed to have been injured.
A total of three suspects were taken into custody after a brief pursuit.
Police said one suspect was arrested in Cypress and two others were arrested in South Gate in Los Angeles County.
AIR7 captured several Newport Beach police officers surrounding a home in South Gate, some of whom had their guns drawn, pointing toward the back portion of the home.
Shopping mall scare
As the chaos was unfolding, one woman who works just a few stores down from where the shooting occurred, said initially, she wasn’t sure what was happening.
“A lady went in with her daughter, screaming like, ‘There’s a shooter! There’s a shooter,'” she recalled. “We ended up locking down with a lot of customers in there and then waiting.”
A 69-year-old woman was fatally struck by a suspect’s car after she and her husband were robbed Tuesday afternoon at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, police said.
The employee said her store was locked down for about an hour until they were all released.
“There was just a lot of people who were afraid, just a very scary thing when you’re working,” she said.
We have to do better as a society. We cannot tolerate this
Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill
Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill lashed out at the suspects, calling them “creeps” and decrying the “stunning, staggering” attack.
“Newport Beach is a safe community and we’re mourning the loss of someone,” he said. “Frankly, to hell with these guys … These are thugs. Every community is now dealing with this. We have to do better as a society. We cannot tolerate this.”
O’Neill praised law enforcement for collaring the three male suspects, but he said, “None of that brings her back.”
O’Neill emphasized that the mall’s owners have “phenomenal security” and that it is a safe place for shoppers.
“Frankly, I would have no problem coming back here with my family,”
This incident remains under investigation.
City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.
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