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Security and Crime NewsWoman arrested in mall attack By Kara Spak Daily Herald Staff Writer Gloria Patterson, 52, of 2037 W. Adams St., Chicago, was charged with armed violence and aggravated battery after her arrest by Chicago’s fugitive warrant unit. Patterson, whose rap sheet dates back more than three decades, has been in and out of prison serving time on more than 15 theft or retail theft convictions since the early 1980s, said Lynn Palac, Cook County assistant state’s attorney. Around 8:45 p.m. Oct. 5, Patterson used a 4- to 5-inch knife to slash two women who tried to stop her from stealing a fur coat from Marshall Field’s in Woodfield Shopping Center, Palac said. The two women — a Marshall Field’s customer and employee — were hospitalized for their injuries. Marshall Field’s employees chased the suspect through the mall but lost her when she disappeared into Sears, according to Schaumburg police. Police developed a list of potential suspects including Patterson, who has a champagne glass and musical notes tattooed on her neck noticed by witnesses to the stabbing. Witnesses picked Patterson out of a photo lineup, and Schaumburg police contacted Chicago police to help with the arrest. “Since that time, she’s been very elusive (traveling out of state),” Carroll said. But Thursday, when Chicago police went looking for her at her apartment, she fled to a second-floor balcony and then hid in a closet, Carroll said. Chicago police are investigating whether Patterson was involved in a similar incident at the Marshall Field’s on State Street, Chicago police Sgt. Robert Cargie said. Patterson is a mother of five who works as a caretaker for the elderly, assistant public defender Daniel Naranjo said. She is being held in Cook County jail on a $250,000 bond.
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© J. R. Roberts, Security Strategies |
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