Accused shoplifter flees store into path of oncoming car and dies, California cops say

A woman accused of shoplifting ran from a store into a street, where a passing driver hit and killed her, California sheriff’s officials reported.

Employees at an Apple Valley tractor supply store recovered stolen merchandise from the woman before she fled just before 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a March 11 news release.

The department provides police services in Apple Valley, which is about a 45-mile drive north from San Bernardino.

After fleeing the store, the woman ran across all lanes of traffic on a nearby street, deputies said. A Mazda 6 driven by a 20-year-old woman struck her.

The accused shoplifter was taken to a hospital and then flown to a trauma center before dying from her injuries, deputies said. The driver was not hurt.

Sheriff’s officials did not release the name or age of the accused shoplifter.

Investigators ask anyone with information to call 760-240-7400 or 760-956-5001.