As a memorial at the Fashion Island shopping mall in Newport Beach grew for a 68-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a car driven by suspected robbers Tuesday, more details have been released about the three suspects.
The men were identified as Leroy McCray, 26, of Compton, Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster and Malachi Edward Darrell, 18, of Los Angeles.
Police said the trio tried to rob the woman, Patricia McKay, 68, from New Zealand, and her husband in front of Barnes & Noble. She was struck and killed by the suspects' getaway car as they left the scene of the crime at Fashion Island in the area of Santa Rosa Drive and Newport Center Drive, according to authorities.
NBCLA learned the oldest suspect has a criminal history, including the robbery of a tourist at gunpoint in Santa Monica in 2022.
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During Tuesday's incident at the mall, one of the men fired a handgun three times during the robbery, but no one was struck by gunfire, police said.
‘To hell with these guys,” Mayor Will O'Neil of Newport Beach said. “They came into our city, knowing that they were going to commit crime, and a woman is dead today because of it.”
A chase ensued after the three men in the white sedan failed to yield for a traffic stop. One suspect got out of the car in Cypress, but was eventually taken into custody. The other two men were arrested after they abandoned the car in Los Angeles County.
In response to the incident, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement, criticizing Gov.Gavin Newsom for his crime policies, saying Newsom is “too busy running for President to be a problem-solving Governor for California.”
“[Newsom and state lawmakers’] priority is mass decarceration and making sure no one is held accountable for their actions. As a result, we are seeing rising crime.”
