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 three 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. Authorities said she wasas they left the scene of the crime at Fashion Island in the area of Santa Rosa Drive and Newport Center Drive.
Police said the oldest suspect has a criminal history, including the robbery of a tourist at gunpoint in Santa Monica in 2022.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.”In response to the incident, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement, criticizing Governor Gavin Newsom for his crime policies, saying Newsom is “too busy running for President to be a problem-solving Governor for California.
“ priority is mass decarceration and making sure no one is held accountable for their actions. As a result, we are seeing rising crime.”