A woman was arrested after prosecutors say she became “enraged” over a mail delivery her grandmother received and then stabbed her uncle at their apartment in Waukegan.
Latrice S. Space, 21, of Waukegan, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of domestic battery.
The Waukegan Police Department responded around 12:30 p.m. on September 21 to the 1000 block of 8th Street in Waukegan for a report of a domestic disturbance in progress.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said officers spoke with the grandmother of Space, who said she was showing Space mace that the mailman had delivered to her.
Space got “enraged” and grabbed a kitchen knife and began stabbing the television with the knife, Theis said.
Space’s uncle arrived home and started questioning why the television was damaged.
Theis said Space was then upset at her uncle and stabbed him in the leg with a kitchen knife, prompting the victim to call 911.
He was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for treatment. He was bleeding from his right leg on the inner thigh.
A witness told officers she was in her bedroom when she heard Space and the victim discussing the television and then she heard what she believed was the stabbing, Theis said.
Space told officers she had her child in her arms and her uncle tried to punch her so she was defending herself.
Two witnesses both said no children were in the room and refuted Space’s story, Theis said.
The victim told police that this was the second television that Space had stabbed and he had to buy a new television.
He also told police that Space had previously stabbed another uncle during a separate incident which was not reported to the police.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Space pending trial and the request was granted by Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim.
“There are no conditions or combination of conditions that can ensure nobody will be around her the next time she loses her temper. Electronic home monitoring will only tell where she is. It does not prevent her from being near others or picking up another knife or weapon to hurt them,” Theis said.
Space is scheduled to appear in court again on November 10 for a case management conference.