A 35-year-old man was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery to a senior citizen in what was initially believed to be an attempted robbery at Westfield Old Orchard Mall, with police saying he struck the woman, pushed her into a nearby pond and held her head underwater.
Skokie police announced the charges, for William Dobbs, 35, on Wednesday. He was set to make his first court appearance at the Skokie Courthouse the same day.
The incident unfolded Tuesday just after 11 a.m., in broad daylight at the popular suburban mall, with witnesses reporting seeing a man holding a woman’s head underwater in a koi pond after trying to steal her purse.
A preliminary investigation from Skokie police alleges Dobbs and the woman, who did not know each other, crossed paths while walking at the north end of the mall. Police said Dobbs then struck her, unprovoked, with a saddle-type bag.
Dobbs allegedly pushed the woman, who was a senior citizen, into the pond, police said, and held her head underwater. An initial report stated Dobbs was armed with a gun.
Shoppers and witnesses separated the man and woman before officers arrived, police said. Witnesses described the harrowing scene to NBC Chicago, saying they saw the man holding the woman in a headlock.
Skokie police officers detained Dobbs upon arrival. The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Initial reports that Dobbs was armed with a gun was unfounded, police said.
In a statement at the time, the mall said it was “aware of an incident” and “cooperating with the Skokie Police Department.”
“The safety and well-being of our visitors, retailers and employees remain our top priority,” the statement said.
According to Skokie police, an investigation remains ongoing.
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