Girl says knife-wielding woman accosted her

Noaki Schwartz

CORONA DEL MAR -- A 15-year-old girl was threatened Wednesday in a

Corona del Mar beach dressing room by a woman with a knife, police

reported.

The woman reportedly told the teenager she would be killed if she

screamed. However, she made no other demands, according to a police

report filed by the girl.

“The victim stumbled backward and the woman pushes her in the chest or

brushes in front of her chest and took off,” said Newport Beach Police

Sgt. Mike McDermott.

The Riverside girl was visiting Main Beach with her parents when she

wandered off to an area with showers and dressing rooms around 10:30

a.m., police said.

A woman in one of the rooms reportedly called out to the teenager by

name. Thinking this was a friend, the girl went in and was confronted by

a stranger holding a six-inch knife, McDermott said.

Police combed the area with Jeeps and helicopters but have yet to turn

up a suspect or a weapon.

The woman was described as a 37-year-old with short black hair and

wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. The knife was described as a

folding knife, McDermott said.

But McDermott said despite the crowded location near the snack bar, no

one else reportedly saw the fleeing woman. In addition, there was only

one way out of the area -- past a parking attendant, who said he saw

nothing.

If the suspect is found, she could be charged with a misdemeanor for

brandishing a deadly weapon, and assault and battery, McDermott said.

“The victim was in tears,” McDermott said. “We’re going to talk to her

again.”