Teen Robbery Crew, Including Girls 12 and 14, Blamed for Pedestrian's Death

Phoenix police say two girls, ages 12 and 14, robbed a woman on the street and jumped in a getaway car that ran red lights, killed a pedestrian and slammed into a city bus.

The chaotic incident began at 7:20 a.m. Thursday near Palm Lane and 45th Street. That’s when the two teenage girls and one other female suspect pulled out a Taser-style weapon and demanded that a woman hand over her purse, police say.

The woman complied and the trio walked away into a nearby park, she told the responding officer. Police spotted a silver car with five people inside. As the officer approached the car, an 18-year-old man, driving the car, sped off past the patrol car.

The silver car, heading west on McDowell Road, blew a red light and slammed into an SUV traveling north on 44th Street. The SUV, driven by a 30-year-old woman, then careened farther north into a 44-year-old woman standing in the median strip, police said.

The suspect’s car continued down McDowell Road until it hit a city bus that had stopped at the intersection. Nobody other than the 31-year-old driver was on board.

At this point, two suspects bailed out of the car and ran. Police described them as a male and female of unknown ages. They escaped despite a police search of the area.

The other three suspects were taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for what police described as “non-life threatening injuries.”

The pedestrian was also rushed to hospital where she died. The bus driver was unhurt and there was no word on the condition of the SUV driver.