CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Police Arrest Suspect in Mugging of 93-Year-Old Woman

Newport Beach detectives have arrested a 31-year-old Arleta man on suspicion of knocking down a 93-year-old woman and stealing her purse earlier this summer.

The man was arrested at 2:15 p.m. July 27 and booked on suspicion of robbery, police said in a statement today. The arrest was the result of “investigative leads,” the statement said.

The robbery occurred at 2:30 p.m. June 30, when a 93-year-old woman was attacked as she was walking home near San Joaquin Hills and San Miguel roads. The suspect knocked the woman to the ground and stole her purse, then fled in a black truck. The woman was injured and hospitalized, police and family said. Witnesses called for help and tried to stop the man from escaping.

Newport Beach Police Chief Jay Johnson praised the detectives assigned to this case. “This was a savage crime by an individual who preyed upon a 93-year-old woman from our community,” he said in a statement. “With very little to go on, our detectives were tenacious and relentless in solving this crime and ensuring they brought the suspect to justice.”

The victim’s daughter, who is a Corona del Mar resident, said the robber got away with her mother’s favorite 20-year-old Louis Vuitton purse, which contained $12 cash, eyeglasses and identification. Read our earlier story here.

The victim continues to suffer numbness and pain and requires daily therapy and around-the-clock assistance, her daughter said.

“She continues to have a positive attitude and hopes justice will be found with this criminal,” the woman said in an email. “There have been so many people involved with this incident it’s incredible. I praise the Newport Beach Police Department and the detective on the case; they really did an awesome job with this. As a family we continue to help my mother regain her strength, and trust. This has been an unfortunate event to what was once an extremely healthy independent 93-year-old that has seem to have lost some of her spirit.”