Robbery suspect runs over elderly man in Orange County

Police are searching for a robbery suspect who ran over an elderly man in Orange County. 

The incident took place on June 4 when Santa Ana police responded to a parking lot near 2100 South Bristol Street in Santa Ana at 12:20 p.m.

The victim, an 83-year-old man, was approached by a female suspect who offered to help him load his groceries into the car.

While helping him, the woman stole two gold chains from the man’s neck before running to a nearby getaway car. The necklaces were worth over $4,500, police said.

The woman entered a white Mercedes GLS 450 SUV driven by a male accomplice.

Surveillance footage of the confrontation released on July 16 showed the victim attempting to stop the SUV from fleeing, but the suspects kept driving, knocking him over before running over his leg and lower body.

A security guard who witnessed the incident is seen running over to help the man.

Police said the incident is an example of a “distraction theft,” a scheme that involves distracting victims either by offering assistance or even placing jewelry/items on the victim while working to steal their personal belongings.

“This incident is consistent with a pattern observed in similar cases involving suspects known as Romani travelers,” Santa Ana police said.

The suspect was described as a woman around 20-25 years old. She stands around 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Officer Rubalcava at 714-245-8373.