Woman knocked down and killed after attempted armed robbery in Newport Beach

Three suspects are in custody after they knocked down a 69-year-old woman as she tried to flee the scene of a robbery outside a sprawling upscale Orange County mall Tuesday.

Authorities said the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. when a group of suspects approached a husband and wife outside a Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Fashion Island mall, located at 401 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach, and attempted to rob them.

Newport Beach Police Department officials said that during a fight, a fleeing driver in a white Toyota Camry pulled over. One of the attackers tried to jump in, but turned and fled, firing a gun.

Fortunately, no one was hit by the gunfire.

“The other [suspect] “Officers entered the car and the suspect vehicle drove away, striking the woman,” said Sergeant Steve Oberon of Newport Police. “Unfortunately, she died at the scene on the roadway.”

Police said the two men in the getaway car eventually tracked down their accomplice who had fired the shots and the trio led police on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles County, with the three men abandoning the car in South Gate and attempting to flee on foot.

The three men were taken into custody shortly afterward, authorities said.

Aerial footage of the scene captured by Sky5 showed a heavy police presence outside the Atrium Shops & Cafes where an awning had been erected to cover the 69-year-old while detectives investigated.

Sergeant Oberon said it was unclear what the men were looking for, whether it was jewelry, shopping bags or something else.

“All of this will be revealed during the investigation,” he said. “I don't have that information at this time.”

Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill told KTLA that there was a massive and immediate response from the Newport Police Department and neighboring agencies, leading to the quick arrest of the suspects.

“You know, frankly, to hell with them,” O'Neill added. “They knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to come to our city to commit a crime and a woman died because of it.”

Investigators told KTLA's Chris Wolfe that the victim's husband did not appear to be physically injured in the failed robbery attempt, but he is now forced to deal with the devastating loss of his wife in such a tragic way.