Newport Fashion Island, a popular shopping destination in Newport Beach, California, was the scene of a tragic robbery and murder on July 2nd. 68-year-old Patricia McKay, a tourist from New Zealand, was killed when suspects fleeing the scene ran her over with their vehicle.
The incident unfolded near a Starbucks at Fashion Island when three suspects, later identified as LeRoy Ernest Joseph McCrary, Malachi Eddward Darnell, and Jaden Cunningham, attempted to rob Patricia McKay and her husband, Douglas. According to police testimony, Douglas McKay tried to warn the suspects that his wife was on the ground in front of their car before they accelerated, dragging her for approximately 30 yards.
Officer Daniel Soliz, one of the first responders on the scene, testified that Douglas McKay had fought off the robbers who initially tried to steal his watch before turning their attention to his wife. One suspect even pointed a gun at Douglas McKay and threatened to shoot him. After a struggle, the suspects jumped back into their car, a white older model Toyota Camry.
The suspects fled the scene, leading police on a high-speed chase through heavy traffic on MacArthur Boulevard. They reached speeds of up to 85 mph while driving on the shoulder of the road. The pursuit eventually ended in South Gate.
A witness at a nearby Sushi Roku restaurant witnessed the chaotic scene and attempted to intervene. He saw the suspects get back into their car with Patricia McKay’s purse and heard Douglas McKay’s pleas for them to stop because his wife was on the ground. This witness even attempted to stop a third suspect from escaping but was fired upon three times.
The preliminary hearing for the three suspects, who are charged with murder with special circumstances of robbery during a killing, continued with testimony from various police officers and witnesses. The prosecution presented surveillance video stills that appeared to show one of the suspects holding a gun outside the car window, although the defense questioned whether it was actually a side mirror. The hearing aimed to establish if there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
