A woman was left seriously injured and in the intensive care unit after authorities say another woman stabbed her twice after she tried to help break up a fight in North Chicago.
The North Chicago Police Department and North Chicago Fire Department responded around 2 a.m. Thursday to the 2500 block of Sycamore Avenue in North Chicago for a report of a stabbing.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Savannah Halcomb said officers arrived and found a female victim lying on the floor inside a residence with two puncture wounds to her abdomen.
Paramedics transported her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a laceration to her liver and had to undergo surgery.
The victim was admitted to the intensive care unit, Halcomb said. Two blood trails were found in the parking lot nearby the residence.
One blood trail led to the residence where the victim was located and the other blood trail led to a nearby home on the same street where Natiera Manor, 29, of North Chicago, resides.
Halcomb said officers obtained a search warrant for Manor’s residence and observed blood on the door handle of the residence, on the floors and in the kitchen.
Officers located three knives, one of which had a bent blade and what appeared to be blood on it.
Witnesses identified Manor as the offender and officers spoke to her cousin, who owns the home where the victim was found.
He reported that he had a party at his house and Manor and her boyfriend attended, Halcomb said.
Manor got into an argument with her boyfriend and the cousin kicked them both out of his house.
He saw Manor arguing and fighting with the female victim outside of his residence, Halcomb said. He went to intervene in the fight and Manor bit him when he tried to pull her away.
The cousin then saw Manor go to her residence and return with a knife where she stabbed the victim, Halcomb said.
Officers spoke to another cousin of Manor who is in a dating relationship with the victim and was at the party that night.
She reported that Manor and her girlfriend were in the home’s bathroom but Manor’s boyfriend got upset.
The boyfriend started striking and grabbing Manor, Halcomb said. The fight continued outside of the residence in the parking lot and the victim and her girlfriend attempted to break it up.
Halcomb said Manor bit the cousin and started fighting with the victim. The female cousin saw Manor with a knife but did not see the stabbing.
Officers were able to speak with the victim, who told them that she was in the bathroom with Manor, which made Manor’s boyfriend upset.
The victim believed it was because of her sexual orientation and that Manor’s boyfriend was uncomfortable with his girlfriend being in the bathroom with her because the victim is lesbian, Halcomb said.
The victim told officers that Manor and her boyfriend got into a fight outside of the residence and she was trying to help break it up when Manor stabbed her, Halcomb said.
Halcomb said Manor admitted to stabbing someone but said she was not sure. Manor was transported to the hospital to be evaluated.
Manor was released and transported back to the police department and spit on an officer, striking him in the face.
Manor was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery in a public place, aggravated battery to a peace officer, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, reckless conduct and two counts of battery.
“This defendant poses a real and present threat, not only to this victim, but to the community as a whole. This defendant had multiple opportunities to walk away from the altercation, and kept choosing to reengage with the victim and the others involved and to escalate,” Halcomb said.
“The defendant was able to leave the fight that occurred outside of the residence in the parking lot. She went to her house, retrieved a knife, and chose to return to the fight and use the knife. She could have remained inside of her house, but she decided to come back and escalate the fight by using a deadly weapon and stabbing this victim,” Halcomb said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Manor pending trial and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the request during a detention hearing.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller said the attack was unprovoked, Manor had “ample opportunity” to walk away from the situation and the victim suffered life-threatening injuries.
Manor remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on September 9 for a preliminary hearing.