A convicted robber is the main thug accused of the botched robbery that killed New Zealander Trish McKay at a California beachside shopping centre in the United States.
Ms McKay, 68, was killed on Tuesday when thieves tried to steal her bank executive’s husband’s watch at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, south of Los Angeles.
But when the robbers failed in their attempt to steal Doug McKay’s expensive watch, they grabbed Mrs. McKay’s handbag and fired a series of warning shots.
As they attempted to run towards an escaping vehicle, Ms McKay held on to her purse but was dragged into the path of the fleeing vehicle, which then struck and killed her.
Police quickly chased down the suspected robbers and arrested chubby Leroy McCrary when he allegedly ran out of breath and hid behind bins to catch his breath.
McCrary has now been revealed He was out on $1 million bail for a nearly identical robbery when he allegedly robbed a man of his Rolex at gunpoint in another exclusive California coastal suburb.
The 26-year-old had boasted about his drug-addicted life on social media, with photos of ice and cannabis pipes, boasting ‘I love my life’.
He was caught hiding behind trash cans between houses after his younger teenage co-defendant ran off.
Leroy McCrary is accused of carrying out the fatal botched robbery that killed New Zealand mother Patricia. McCrary has a criminal record that includes a chillingly similar assault in another upmarket beach community.
Police arrested Leroy McCrary after he was forced to hide behind trash cans between houses after the overweight narcotics addict ran out of puffs while fleeing police following the fatal mall robbery.
Although his two 18-year-old accomplices were also later arrested, McCrary, limp and shirtless, was seen talking nonsense to officers while handcuffed.
A row has now erupted over why McCrary was allowed back on the streets after being charged with his previous robbery.
Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill angrily said McCrary “should not have been in free society” because of his past crimes.
According to the Los Angeles Times, McCrary has a troubling criminal past and was charged in late 2022 with being a narcotics addict in possession of a firearm.
He pleaded guilty to that crime and pleaded guilty again in September 2023 to robbery, when he was given two years’ probation and a three-year suspended prison sentence.
In January of last year, Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested McCrary for the theft of the nearly identical watch.
Police say they were called to a location just minutes from Santa Monica Beach on the evening of September 25, 2022.in connection with an armed robbery.
New details have emerged of the final moments of New Zealander Patricia ‘Trish’ McKay (left), who was murdered in front of her husband, prominent banker Doug McKay (right), at a shopping centre in Newport Beach, California.
A man told officers he was walking on the sidewalk when two men pointed guns at him and stole his Rolex watch.
The suspects fled in a waiting vehicle.
Despite his criminal record, McCrary was granted bail of $1 million and his accomplice Donta Baker, who was already in custody in the Los Angeles County jail on an attempted murder charge, was granted bail of $2 million.
But McCray has so far avoided any prison time.
northThere is now an angry outcry on social media, including a bitter political backlash against California Governor and Democratic presidential candidate Gavin Newsom.
“There are no safe places in Gavin Newsom’s lawless California,” one man posted on X after McKay’s sudden death.
METERMayor O’Neill said he was “furious” after hearing the news of the “shocking” attack and described Ms McKay’s death as tragic.
The 68-year-old woman and her husband were standing outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Fashion Island mall when they were approached by two men. Leroy McCrary (above) and two teenagers are in custody
“I’m horrified. I’m mourning the loss of someone who died within our city because of a crime,” he said. “This is a tragedy and I’m furious.
‘Newport Beach is a safe community and we are mourning the loss of someone.
“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.”
A shopper who witnessed Tuesday’s attack said she had been inside Whole Foods at Fashion Island and “heard some gunshots as she was leaving.”
Dan Sheen told Morning Report he believed the thieves had initially tried to steal Mr McKay’s watch, before turning their attention to Ms McKay’s handbag.
“They went for a watch that he was wearing, as I understand it,” Sheen said.
“And then they turned their attention to Patricia with the bag and there was a struggle there.”
Mr Sheen said that when the shots rang out “everyone freaked out and ran for cover”.
One of her friends tried to stop the robber who had grabbed Ms McKay’s handbag and “thrown it onto the clothesline”, “he reached out as the guy was running away with the bag”.
Shopper Dan Sheen told Morning Report he believed the thieves had initially tried to steal Mr McKay’s watch, before turning their attention to Ms McKay’s handbag.
The attempt sent the attackers into a panic and in their rush to flee, Ms McKay was dragged into the car park while the two men got into a Toyota Camry driven by a third man, who then ran over Ms McKay.
“I heard the car screech and then I heard what happened next,” Sheen said.
“The person got into the car, the vehicle accelerated very quickly and, unfortunately, as far as I understand, it ran over Patricia.”
During the police chase, shots were fired from the vehicle that hit speeds of 110 mph (177 km/h) on the 105 Freeway.
The chase continued into Los Angeles County, where McCrary and one of the teens jumped out of the Toyota near Los Alamitos and began running through the South Gate neighborhood.
Police found McCray behind some trash cans under a sign that read “Beware of Dog” and arrested him before pursuing the other two suspects, Jaden Cunningham and Malachi Eddward Darnell, both 18.
All three are behind bars and charged with murder, armed robbery and conspiracy.
Mrs. McKay has been remembered as a loving grandmother and a beloved “mother, wife and friend.”
General view of the Fashion Island Mall in Newport Beach, California, where the McKays were robbed. It is generally considered a safe place
In a statement following the death, the McKay family said: “There are no words that can express our sadness as we try to come to terms with the loss of our mother, wife and friend Patricia.”
Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson said in a Facebook post she was “beyond devastated” to hear of Trish McKay’s death.
“Trish was the wife of Doug McKay, who, among other important roles, was the first chief executive of the merged Auckland Council,” he said.
“Trish was amazing – funny, loyal and loving. My condolences to Doug and his family.”
A memorial with flowers and tributes has grown outside the Barnes & Noble store.
A note taped to a bouquet of flowers at the scene of the killing read: “Rest in heaven, Patricia McKay. Stop the senseless robberies. We need more security…immediately.”
Police have increased patrols at the mall since the incident.
