COSTA MESA, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, at approximately 12:00 p.m., a female suspect entered a jewelry store located inside the South Coast Plaza shopping center at 3333 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa. She asked to look at and try on several pieces of high-end jewelry. After putting on the jewelry, the suspect asked if she could view the jewelry in the sunlight. She was informed the jewelry could not leave the store while she began walking toward the entrance, where she was stopped by the store security. The suspect then brandished a large knife and threatened the security officers. She fled the store and was followed to the parking lot, where store security was able to obtain the license plate of the vehicle as she drove away.
Based on the license plate information and witness identifications, the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) detectives identified the suspect as Karen Yvonne Floyd, 54, Newport Beach, and obtained a search warrant for Floyd’s residence.
On Jan. 13, 2020, detectives contacted Floyd in the lobby of her apartment building and placed her under arrest with no incident. Floyd was promptly booked and is still in custody, being held without bail. Detectives searched Floyd’s residence and recovered the stolen jewelry and the knife used in the robbery. The jewelry, valued at over 2 million dollars, was subsequently returned to the store.