A tranquil summer afternoon at the upscale Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach disintegrated into violence Tuesday, with a woman killed after a botched robbery attempt. Two men accosted the 69-year-old tourist and her husband near the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the mall, authorities said. Shots were fired, but police said no one was struck by bullets.
The woman was identified as Patricia McKay, who was visiting from New Zealand, the Newport Beach Police Department announced Wednesday in a news release . The couple had been walking at Fashion Island when they were approached by two men who attempted to rob them, according to police Sgt. Steven Oberon.
A struggle ensued, and McKay was dragged into a parking lot and subsequently run over by a white Toyota Camry driven by a third suspect, police said. There were no other reported injuries. Police pursued the suspects after the incident, a chase that took them into Los Angeles County.
Authorities reported that the Camry reached speeds of up to 110 mph as it sped north. A television news helicopter captured video of the car speeding on the left shoulder of the 105 Freeway and at one point grazing the concrete center median. During the pursuit, police said the getaway driver let at least one accomplice out in Cypress before he and another man sped on.
The pair eventually jumped out of the car in South Gate, fleeing on foot around Harding and Hoover avenues, according to police and video of the chase shown on multiple news stations.
