A woman was fatally run over by a car during what police say was a robbery attempt at a shopping mall in Newport Beach.
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Patricia McKay, 68, a resident of New Zealand, was shopping with her husband before the attack on Tuesday, July 2, at Fashion Island, Newport Beach police Sgt. Steve Oberon said.
Around 3:30 p.m., the pair were walking near the Barnes & Noble store when they were reportedly confronted by two men, one armed with a handgun. During a struggle, Patricia McKay was dragged into the parking lot, where the men’s accomplice was waiting in a Toyota Camry.
One of the robbers jumped into the car, and the driver accelerated, running over McKay. The second robber, still on foot, fired his handgun three times, then got into the Camry. The three fled in the car.
Nobody was struck by the gunfire, and McKay’s husband was not injured.
Police pursued the car onto northbound Interstate 405. At one point, the car stopped in Cypress, and one of the men fled on foot. The two others continued to drive, then abandoned the car in a South Gate neighborhood before also fleeing on foot.
Three suspects were caught and booked into jail on suspicion of murder, robbery with a firearm and conspiracy, Oberon said. They were a 26-year-old man from Compton and two 18-year-old men, one from Los Angeles and one from Lancaster.
The brazen, daytime robbery attempt startled shoppers and employees at the mall.
Police vehicles patrol Fashion Island on Wednesday, July 3, in the aftermath of the death of a woman at the upscale Newport Beach mall the day before. (Mark Evans/SCNG)
What was stolen, if anything, was not immediately specified by police.
A representative of the Consulate General of New Zealand in Los Angeles said Wednesday the office was providing assistance for the victim’s family, but did not comment further to protect privacy.