Three men 20 years old and under were behind bars Thursday in connection with a purse snatching that led to the victim’s death in Garden Grove.
Gregory Anthony Walker, 19, of Los Angeles, and Giovanni Solomon Guy, 20, of Los Angeles, were booked on suspicion of murder and robbery in connection with the death of 32-year-old Nga Ngoc Nguyen of Santa Ana, said Garden Grove police Lt. Carl Whitney. Brad Maurice Brown, 19, of Hawthorne, was booked on suspicion of robbery.
Solomon driving the alleged robbery crew’s get-away car and Walker was accused of grabbing the victim’s purse, Whitney said.
Nguyen was walking with her sister in a parking lot at 13800 Brookhurst Blvd. about 9:45 a.m. Wednesday when a car pulled alongside them and Walker tried to wrestle away the victim’s purse, Whitney said.
Nguyen’s arm became caught in the strap as Walker jumped into the vehicle as it was driving away, Whitney said. Nguyen was run over by the car and was rushed to an area hospital, where she later died, Whitney said.
Walker was already facing charges of burglary and grand theft related to stealing from a Newport Beach store Nov. 26. Walker has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
The suspects were under surveillance at the time by Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives, who trailed them and called Garden Grove police for help, Whitney said. The detectives had earlier informed Garden Grove police that they were conducting surveillance and asked officers to avoid the area, the lieutenant said.
The sheriff’s detectives followed the suspects in an unmarked car to the area of the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway and Century Boulevard in South Los Angeles, where the three suspects jumped out and tried to flee on foot, but were quickly apprehended, Whitney said.
Detectives recovered some evidence at the scene, he said.
During the pursuit, the suspects appeared to throw evidence onto the Garden Grove (22) Freeway, so police briefly closed the roadway to conduct a search, Whitney said.
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