Parking dispute escalates into attack, robbery at Citadel Outlets in Commerce

COMMERCE, Calif. (KABC) -- A woman says she and her daughter were attacked and robbed after a parking dispute at the busy Citadel Outlets in Commerce.

Patricia Cupa said she and her 19-year-old daughter Natalie Martinez went to the popular mall on Wednesday evening and tried to park in an open spot, but a vehicle next to the space had its door open.

The mother and daughter told Eyewitness News that they waited patiently for the people in the vehicle to close the door so they could pull in.

"She kept the door open purposely," Cupa recalled. "She was just sitting there and that's when I decided to honk the horn... According to her we weren't patient enough."

A passenger finally closed the door and Martinez parked. An argument ensued between her and the woman driving the other car.

What unfolded next was a violent fight caught on video.

The melee started when Martinez got out of her vehicle. She said people in the other car threw water at her.

"They threw that, and I was like in shock... They all came out and started hitting me," Martinez recounted.

Cupa said a young man traveling with the attackers stole her purse, which was carrying more than $3,000.

The group took off before sheriff's deputies arrived. No arrests have been made so far.