Authorities were searching for two alleged robbers who rammed a woman with a car recently in downtown Los Angeles.
Police said the woman had exited a shop in the Jewelry District when the suspects followed her in a Dodge Challenger, KTLA reported Tuesday.
“As she approached the intersection in her vehicle, one of the robbers approached her vehicle and shattered her driver-side window with some sort of tool,” the outlet said.
When she tried to drive away, she was caught up in traffic, so “she left her vehicle and ran into the road while she called for help, but she was followed by the Challenger which accelerated and hit her as she ran,” the report added.
When she hit the pavement, two suspects got out of the car and snatched her Rolex watch she had tossed away, and one of them had a handgun, according to police.
Video footage showed the moment the woman was hit, and a citizen rushed over and helped her up off the ground:
Authorities said one man was wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants, white shoes, and a ski mask and was reportedly armed with a handgun. The other suspect wore a black sweater and light-colored jeans. Officers noted he also had a handgun.
Citizens with more information were asked to contact detectives at 213-486-6840.
The incident happened after Los Angeles police warned citizens that wearing expensive jewelry in public could brand them as targets for criminals.
“These are not only smash-and-snatch the necklace off your neck jobs. Thieves are targeting citizens based on their jewelry or cars and then following them home,” according to Breitbart News.
In March, LAPD Chief Michel Moore revealed robberies involving a gun in Los Angeles rose 44 percent from last year and were up 57 percent from 2020.
“LAPD said robbers are targeting people leaving high-end businesses or wearing expensive jewelry. Authorities said there were five robberies that fit that description over a 48-hour period this week,” the KTLA report concluded.