A woman was arrested after she allegedly hit two people with her car outside of Gurnee Mills, fled to a nearby parking lot, and engaged in an altercation with a man while armed with a butcher knife Monday morning in what police are calling “random acts of violence.”
The Gurnee Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department responded around 10:05 a.m. Monday to the Hobby Lobby at Gurnee Mills, 6136 West Grand Avenue, for reports of a car that hit a pedestrian in the parking lot.
Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said a car was driving through a parking lot aisle when it hit a 79-year-old man who was standing near his vehicle.
The car then exited the aisle and hit a 60-year-old woman, causing her to injure her ankle, Gaylor said.
The car – a 2010 Toyota Camry – fled the scene before officers arrived.
Gurnee firefighter/paramedics transported the man to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious injuries.
A second ambulance transported the woman to Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Gaylor added.
“Through witness statements and security footage from the area, officers were able to identify the type of vehicle involved and began actively searching the area,” Gaylor said.
Gurnee Police issued an alert to surrounding police agencies of the Toyota through the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN) at around 10:40 a.m.
The Toyota sustained damage to its windshield on the passenger side after striking two pedestrians.
After fleeing the scene, the driver of the Toyota – a 25-year-old woman from Waukesha, Wisconsin – pulled into a parking lot behind Panera Bread and MISSION BBQ, which is just less than 1000 feet away from the hit-and-run.
The woman approached a man sitting inside his Hyundai Tucson SUV in the parking lot.
She used a large butcher knife to allegedly strike the Hyundai’s window and slash the front driver’s side tire.
The man exited the car, and a physical struggle between the two ensued.
During the struggle, the man sustained several cuts to his hands from the knife but was able to disarm the female and restrain her until a Gurnee police officer, who noticed the altercation occurring while canvassing the area, arrived on scene.
“Officers issued verbal commands for the individuals to separate,” Gaylor said. “The female stood up and aggressively approached the officer, prompting the deployment of a taser.”
Several police officers, including those who were already investigating the hit-and-run nearby at Hobby Lobby, rushed to the Panera Bread and MISSION BBQ to assist the first police officer.
A nearby Lake County sheriff’s deputy also responded to assist Gurnee Police.
The woman was subsequently arrested.
Gaylor clarified that the man wasn’t stabbed, but was injured while attempting to disarm the woman.
The altercation occurred at around 10:45 a.m., which is about 40 minutes after the hit-and-run.
It is unclear when exactly the woman pulled into the parking lot.
Officers rendered the scene safe for responding Gurnee firefighter/paramedics and immediately began interviewing witnesses.
Paramedics transported both the victim and suspect to Advocate Condell Medical Center.
The victim was bloody after the altercation, but his injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening.
As of early Monday evening, the suspect is still in the hospital, Gaylor said.
Gaylor said the two incidents appear to be “random acts of violence.”
“There is no ongoing threat to the public related to these events,” Gaylor added.
Charges against the woman are pending.
Gurnee police detectives are continuing to investigate and determine the full circumstances of both incidents, Gaylor said.
Police are expected to release further information in the coming days.