SANTA ANA – Detectives are asking for the public’s help in finding a robber who forcibly took an iPhone from a 15-year-old girl who was fatally injured when she chased the suspect, jumped on the trunk of his vehicle and fell off.
Rubi Rubio, a student at Godinez Fundamental High School, was walking her 7-year-old sister home from school about noon Thursday in the 1000 block of West Warner Avenue when the man asked her for the time. As Rubi looked at her iPhone, the man grabbed her phone and ran to a vehicle nearby close to Towner Street, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
As the vehicle driven by a second unknown person started to drive away, Rubi jumped onto the trunk and held on for a short time, Bertagna said.
“According to witnesses, the vehicle was swerving in an attempt to get her off,” Bertagna said.
Rubi fell off, hit her head on the roadway and was taken to Western Medical Center Santa Ana.
“She opened her eyes, looked at me for like five seconds and said, ‘Mom,’ Marisol Hernandez told reporters through tears Tuesday as she talked about seeing her daughter at the hospital. “That was the last word I heard from her.”
Initially, Hernandez said she was hopeful Rubi would survive because she opened her eyes, moved her arms and legs and appeared to know what was going on around her. But Rubi, the girl with a great smile and heart who celebrated her 15th birthday in April, died from her injuries Saturday, Hernandez, 44, said.
Rubi loved to chase butterflies, rescue animals and dreamed of being a veterinarian. She also loved to skate in her neighborhood, dance and helped her younger siblings with their homework.
Hernandez gave her daughter the iPhone a week before the incident after her daughter broke two other phones. But there was a condition: to get A’s and B’s her sophomore year.
“She was my support all the time and she deserved it,” Hernandez said. “I don’t know exactly what happened,” she said about why her daughter decided to chase after the robber.
Hernandez on Tuesday pleaded with the robber and witnesses to come forward.
“Please turn yourself in and tell police what happened,” Hernandez said.
The suspect was described as Latino in his early 20s or early 30s, between 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a black baseball hat, white tank top and light-colored jeans, Bertagna said.
The vehicle was described as a light gray or silver Pontiac, Bertagna said. A description of the driver was not immediately available.
The iPhone was later recovered by a resident near Warner Avenue and Towner Street, Bertagna said.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends, teachers, classmates, and to all those who knew her well. We are here for them during this difficult time, and we have extended our services in the area of grief counseling,” Santa Ana Unified School District Superintendent Rick Miller said in a statement.
“We have contacted our parent community about the robbery, and we have encouraged them to talk with their children about being safe and how to respond if they ever happened to find themselves in such a terrible situation.” Miller said.
Anyone with information was asked to call detectives at 714-245-8390 or OC Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3709 or desalazar@ocregister.com
