A woman was dragged about 30 feet when she attempted to stop two people from stealing her car, police say.
Mesa police report that on November 14, a woman left her car running in front of a store as she was returning rented videos. That's when a man and a woman reportedly jumped in her vehicle to steal it.
The victim ran to her car and reached inside to get her purse, when a suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Justin Zachary Rogers, accelerated backward, dragging the woman about 30 feet. The car stopped after striking a concrete barrier in front of a gas pump.
According to police, the victim fell and watched as Rogers and 21-year-old Angelina Mercedes Ysi Leyva drove away.
The victim, identified as 43-year-old Doesha Eskew, reportedly suffered from road rash and a sore back.
"I'm devastated..I'm still processing it," said Deborah Eskew, Doesha's mother. "This is not somethiong anybody should have to go through."
Police say they took the suspects' descriptions to several businesses in the area. A grocery store manager reportedly told officers he had surveillance video of a couple, matching that description, stealing food from the store the same morning.
Police say officers recognized the distinctive tattoos, and connected Rogers and Leyva to the crimes.
The suspects were found a couple of days later, near University Drive and Extension Road. They reportedly admitted to taking the woman's car and another car in Phoenix two days earlier.
They have been charged with aggravated assault, car theft, and criminal damage.
