A tranquil summer afternoon at the upscale Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach disintegrated into violence Tuesday, with a woman killed and her husband injured after a botched robbery attempt. At least three men accosted the 69-year-old woman and her husband close to the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the mall and attempted to rob them, according to a law enforcement source. Authorities said that shots were fired, although no one was struck by gunfire.
The suspects then ran over the woman in the mall’s parking lot as they sped away, Newport Beach police said. It’s unclear how her husband was injured. Police pursued the suspects following the incident, a chase that took them into Los Angeles County.
During the pursuit, the getaway driver allegedly let more than one accomplice out before he and another man sped on. They eventually jumped out of the car in South Gate, fleeing on foot, according to police and to video of the chase shown on multiple local TV news stations. The victims were not immediately identified.
News footage showed one bare-chested man being taken into custody minutes after he jumped from the driver’s side of the car. The shooting occurred just after 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, at what is known as a usually peaceful shopping center, which sits on a bluff above the ocean, in the wealthy coastal community. The Newport Beach Fire Department said it found a person dead in the parking lot adjacent the bookstore. Authorities reported that the getaway car — a white Toy.
