Teen girl dies after hanging onto fleeing suspect vehicle
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 15-year-old girl died from her injuries after falling off a fleeing suspect vehicle containing a man who stole her cellphone in Santa Ana.
The teen girl was walking with her 7-year-old sister in the area of the 1000 block of W. Warner Avenue on Thursday, July 3, when a man confronted her and stole her iPhone.
The suspect then ran to a waiting vehicle, which was driven by a second suspect. As the vehicle drove away, the teen girl grabbed onto the trunk area and hung on for a short time. She fell off and was critically injured.
The 15-year-old died two days later. She was identified as Rubi Rubio.
Rubio's mother had given the iPhone to the teen the week before to replace a broken one, and to reward her for getting good grades. Santa Ana Police said the iPhone has been recovered.
The theft suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his late 20s to early 30s, standing 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build, wearing a black baseball cap, white tank top and light colored jeans.
The suspect who drove the vehicle was not seen.
The Santa Ana Police Department is seeking any witnesses or persons with information about the incident or the identity of the suspects to contact the Homicide Unit at (714) 245-8390 or OC Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.
