A group of Los Angeles thugs accused of murdering a woman outside an upmarket Newport Beach mall attacked the prominent couple after spotting them with expensive items.
Doug McKay, a New Zealand business executive, was wearing an expensive watch and his wife, Patricia “Trish” McKay, was carrying bags of designer merchandise from their shopping trip when they left the mall on July 2, prosecutors say. according to the Los Angeles Times.
Those items apparently caught the attention of Leroy McCrary, 26, and Malachi Darnell, 18, both of Los Angeles, as well as Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster, California, who allegedly accosted the couple as they waited for their ride to appear outside the Barnes & Noble store.
They pulled up next to the couple and two masked men, later identified as Darnell and Cunningham, jumped out.
Doug and Patricia McKay were reportedly attacked by a group of Los Angeles thugs as they left an upscale Newport Beach shopping center.
One of the suspects allegedly put a gun to the head of Mr McKay, 69, demanding the watch he was wearing and forcing him to the ground.
Another dragged his 68-year-old wife into the street in front of the Camry while trying to snatch her shopping bags.
Doug reportedly jumped in front of the vehicle to protect his wife, but McCrary, with Darnell in the back of the car, accelerated and forced the husband out of the way.
He then allegedly ran over McKay, trapping her underneath the vehicle and dragging her 65 feet until she died.
Doug, a former chairman of the Bank of New Zealand, was not injured in the incident.
The suspects are accused of attempting to rob the famous couple before running over Patricia McKay and killing her.
Meanwhile, Cunningham continued to run toward the moving getaway vehicle, attempting to jump out while a good Samaritan chased him, attempting to stop him.
But police say the pursuer gave up the chase when Darnell fired three shots in his direction from the Toyota, allowing Cunningham to escape with his two accomplices. No one was hit by the gunfire.
The men then fled north toward Los Angeles, with the Toyota reaching speeds of up to 110 mph.
While speeding through Los Angeles County, Cunningham ran from the car and was arrested, according to police.
McCrary and Darnell were later arrested in a residential community in South Gate.
Police arrested Leroy McCrary McCrary, pictured, after a high-speed chase.
McCrary and his accomplices now face murder and robbery charges.
All three suspects now face felony aggravated murder charges that make them eligible for the death penalty, as well as second-degree robbery.
Darnell is also charged with attempted murder and discharging a firearm after allegedly shooting the Good Samaritan.
And McCrary — who police say acted as the driver — was also charged with evading police while driving recklessly.
They are all due back in court on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Sheriff George Gascon is facing a growing storm of anger over his decision to allow McCrary to be free on probation rather than behind bars for a series of prior convictions in Los Angeles, including one last year for a similar robbery.
Prosecutors say that before last week’s robbery and murder, McCrary had prior convictions for residential burglary in 2018, criminal threats in 2020 and robbery in 2023.
Last year he pleaded guilty to robbery and being a drug addict in possession of a firearm. However, he was only sentenced to two years’ probation and a three-year prison sentence was suspended, leaving him free on the streets.
“Our malls and shopping centers have become hunting grounds for criminals who prey on innocent shoppers to rob them blind because our Governor and our Legislature refuse to hold anyone accountable for their actions,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, a Republican, said when he announced the charges against the three men.
He said McKay’s murder was a crime “that should never have happened” and added: “Anarchy and violence will not be tolerated in our society.”
McCrary, pictured, has a criminal record that includes a chillingly similar assault in another upmarket beach community.
Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill also reacted angrily to McKay’s gruesome murder, saying McCrary “should not have been in free society” because of his past crimes.
“Frankly, to hell with these guys… They are bullies. Every community is dealing with this right now. We have to do better as a society. We cannot tolerate this.”
Asked to explain why McCrary did not go to prison for his earlier crimes, Gascon said in a statement that “the case against him had significant evidentiary issues,” so “court management authorized a plea offer that allowed him to be placed on probation” in addition to a suspended prison sentence.
