Woman pulls kitchen knife, steals $2 million in jewelry from South Coast Plaza, police say

Police have arrested a Newport Beach woman they say brandished a large kitchen knife and made off with over $2 million in jewelry from a Costa Mesa store, authorities said.

Karen Yvonne Floyd, 54, entered a jewelry store at South Coast Plaza at noon Saturday, where she tried on several high-end pieces of jewelry, police said.

Costa Mesa Police spokeswoman Roxi Fyad declined to provide the store’s name or the pieces of jewelry that were stolen.

After trying on several items, Floyd asked store officials whether she could see the jewelry in sunlight, authorities said. Clerks told the woman the jewelry couldn’t leave the store, but she walked toward the entrance, where police say she pulled out a large kitchen knife and threatened store security before fleeing.

Security guards followed the woman into the parking lot, where they took down Floyd’s license plate number as she drove away, police said. With help from the public and the license plate information, police identified Floyd and obtained a warrant to search her residence.

Detectives arrested Floyd in the lobby of her apartment building Monday and placed her under arrest. The stolen jewelry and the knife used in the robbery were found inside her home, authorities said.

Floyd is being held without bail, according to jail records.