3 Long Beach teens charged with attacking woman to induce miscarriage

A Long Beach teen boy and two girls are facing six felony counts after they allegedly attacked a pregnant woman, the boy’s girlfriend, in a plot to cause her to miscarry.

Angel Contreras, 17, Claudia Rodriguez, 16, and Candy Patricio, 17, each face two counts of attempted murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, the Los Angeles County District Attoey’s Office said Tuesday.

All three defendants are Long Beach residents, said Sarah Ardalani, a district attoey’s spokeswoman.

The victim’s age was not released. She is, however, legally an adult, Ardalani said.

The victim was 13 weeks into her pregnancy at the time of the attack and no permanent damage was done to her or the fetus, said Ardalani.

The plot

Contreras allegedly enlisted Rodriguez and Patricio to attack his pregnant girlfriend so she would miscarry, said Deputy District Attoey Troy Davis, who is assigned to the case, in a statement.

The girlfriend was walking to Contreras’ home on March 4 when she was allegedly attacked and punched in the stomach by Rodriguez and Patricio, Davis said. Less than three weeks later, Contreras boarded a bus with his girlfriend and allegedly alerted his accomplices.

When the girlfriend exited the bus, she was attacked by Rodriguez and Patricio, who tried to drag her into a car, the prosecutor said. A passerby saw the attack and saved her from being kidnapped.

Court proceedings

The three defendants were scheduled to be arraigned at Long Beach Superior Court Monday, but the hearing was pushed ahead to May 31.

Anyone who may have information about the attacks or the plot is encouraged to contact the Long Beach Police Department’s Violent Crimes Detail at 562-570-7250.