Suspects allegedly ran over 69-year-old woman after robbing her outside a Newport Beach mall

A group of suspects led police on a nationwide chase after they allegedly opened fire and ran over a woman at Fashion Island Mall.

Detectives with the Newport Police Department said the incident began around 3:30 p.m. when the suspects robbed a 69-year-old woman and her husband outside the Barnes and Noble store. The suspects then jumped into a white car and ran over the woman, killing her.

Officials said the suspects opened fire as they drove away.

“I’m angry,” said Mayor Will O’Neill. “I’m appalled. I’m grieving the loss of a person who died in our city as a result of a crime… This is a tragedy and I’m angry.”

Newport Beach Fire Department said they arrived on scene to find a person dead in the parking lot directly in front of the mall’s Barnes and Noble.

“These are gangsters and every community is struggling with this now,” O’Neill said. “We have to get better as a society because we cannot tolerate this.”

Witnesses said they heard three to four gunshots before everyone tried to take cover. Officers asked residents to avoid the area while they continued their investigation.

“I was planning on getting my sunglasses fixed,” said shopper Rachel West. “I didn’t know there would be a crime scene and a dead body when I arrived.”

Shortly after the shooting, authorities began pursuing the alleged suspects. The car led police into Los Angeles County after two suspects jumped out of the car near Los Alamitos.

The suspects reached speeds of 110 mph (177 km/h) on the westbound 105 Freeway. After exiting the freeway, two other men jumped out of the car and ran through the nearby South Gate neighborhood.

Police found one of the suspects hiding behind trash cans in a nearby house.

Officers tracked down and arrested three suspects, including one who was hiding behind trash cans in South Gate.