San Diego, CA
Final member of trio suspected in purse snatching cases arraigned
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Three people arrested on suspicion of stealing from several elderly women appeared in court on Monday. The trio is accused of visiting shopping centers and stealing purses before taking off in a getaway vehicle.
From the start of the year to April, 15 separate victims were stolen from or even robbed in several locations, spanning across Mira Mesa shopping centers and National City; most victims were Filipino/Asian women between the ages of 64 to 89. The majority of the incidents took place at Asian markets.
“Just to think that you would take advantage of somebody—what if it was your mom, what if it was your grandmother?” said one National City resident. “And just hearing stuff like that—it’s heartbreaking.”
Now, the county is working on prosecuting the person in question, defendant Shawntece Davis. Monday afternoon, she pleaded not guilty to several counts of theft from an elder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy to commit elder theft and more.
Davis didn’t work alone. Her two co-defendants were also arraigned last week with not-guilty pleas.
“This case represents the worst—these defendants targeted the most vulnerable in our community,” said Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello.
The defendants could face up to eight to 17 years in state prison if convicted of all charges.
Here’s how the trio would operate: As elderly women left a store, walked to their car, and began to unload groceries, the suspects would act, stealing unattended purses while the victims were distracted. However, not all who work around the area are aware.
“We’re not experiencing something like that—I hear that somewhere, but here at Target? No,” said a local Mira Mesa Target employee.
Eddie Jimenez with SD Landhousing Security Service was also a former grocery store owner and operator in National City, he says there are preventable steps victims can take.
“Grocery outlets should be able to offer them assistance,” Jimenez said. “Especially if they’re senior citizens, they can ask a manager if one of their box boys can take them out to the car.”
Prosecutors warn this is happening across the entire county. They advise to never bring a large purse to the store or leave a bag unattended.
Joan Endres
OBITUARY
Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.
Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.
In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.
Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.
As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.
Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.
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