One person killed in attempted robbery at Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach – Orange County Register

A 69-year-old woman was killed Tuesday in an apparent botched robbery attempt at the upscale Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach, and three suspects were eventually taken into custody, authorities said.

According to Newport Beach Police Sergeant Steve Oberon, a couple was walking outside the mall near the Barnes & Noble store around 3:30 p.m. when they were approached by two male suspects who attempted to rob them. A “fight” ensued, during which the woman was dragged into the parking lot, where she was then hit by the suspects’ white Toyota Camry, Oberon said.

One of the suspects fled on foot and fired several shots as he fled, but no one was hit, Oberon said. The other suspects fled in the Camry.

The two suspects led authorities on a chase that took them to South Gate in Los Angeles County. The driver eventually stopped in a neighborhood and the two suspects tried to flee on foot, but both were taken into custody, Oberon said.

The third suspect was also arrested, likely in Cypress, Oberon said.

The identities of the suspects were not immediately released.

The name of the dead woman was not immediately released. Oberon said her husband was not believed to have been injured.

No other injuries were reported, Oberon said.

“It’s a shock,” Oberon said. “That doesn’t usually happen here.”

Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill lashed out at the suspects, calling them “perverts” and denouncing the attack as “stunning and astounding.”

“Newport Beach is a safe community and we are grieving the loss of a loved one,” he said. “Frankly, to hell with these guys.”[…]They are thugs. Every community faces this problem. We have to do better as a society. We cannot tolerate this.”

O'Neill commended law enforcement for arresting the three male suspects, but said: “None of this is going to bring her back.”

O'Neill stressed that the mall's owners have “phenomenal security” and that it is a safe place for customers.

“Frankly, I would have no problem coming back here with my family,” the mayor said.

News video from the scene showed police placing a tent over the victim on a central street.

Police tape closed off part of the parking lot, blocking access to Whole Foods, Barnes & Noble and Sushi Roku stores. Entrance from Newport Center Drive and San Miguel Drive was also partially closed.

The theft surprised staff and customers Fashion Islandat 401 Newport Center Drive, described by its owner, the Irvine Company, as “an unrivaled setting for shopping, dining and ultra-premium lifestyle brands.”

On Tuesday evening, customers and diners continued to visit other parts of the mall that had reopened.

Ama Lawagy, 46, worked in a hair care store a few hundred meters from the scene of the murder.

“Everyone panicked and started running,” Lawagy said.

She said three people rushed into the store for shelter when police arrived a few minutes later.

According to Lawagy, a woman hid with her crying three-year-old daughter. People remained locked inside, hiding, where they waited for more than an hour for the police to give the green light.

“I've never seen anything like this,” Jim Shav, a customer, told the independent OC Hawk news agency. “(This is) the first time I've been to a mall where they've closed off parts of it because of [a shooting].”

City News Service contributed to this article.

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