NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — A 69-year-old woman was killed after an attempted robbery Tuesday afternoon at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, police said.
Officers responded to the area near Barnes Librairie & Noble 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.
The suspects attempted to rob the couple and a fight broke out, police said. The suspects then attempted to flee in a white Toyota Camry.
“One of the suspects fled the scene as the vehicle was fleeing and struck the victim, a female,” said Steve Oberon, Newport Beach Police Public Information Officer. “The suspect who fled the scene got back into the vehicle, at which time shots were fired from a handgun and the vehicle fled the scene.”
Initial reports indicated the woman had been shot, but police later confirmed she had been fatally struck by the Camry. No one was hit by the gunfire, police said.
At a news conference Tuesday, police said that at one point one of the suspects dragged the woman into the street during the robbery.
A total of three suspects were taken into custody after a brief chase.
Police said one suspect was arrested in Cypress and two others were arrested in South Gate, Los Angeles County.
AIR7 captured several Newport Beach police officers surrounding a home in South Gate, some of whom had their guns drawn and pointed toward the back of the house.
Fear of the shopping mall
As the chaos unfolded, a woman who works a few stores away from where the shooting took place said she wasn’t sure what was happening at first.
“A lady came in with her daughter screaming, ‘There’s a shooter! There’s a shooter,’” she recalled. “We ended up locking ourselves in there with a lot of customers and had to wait.”
The employee said her store was closed for about an hour until everyone was released.
“There were a lot of people who were afraid, it’s a very scary thing when you’re working,” she said.
This is a developing story. This article will be updated as new information becomes available.
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