Crime & Safety

Woman Mugged by Two Men in Mall Parking Lot: Police

The victim lost her purse and cell phone to two men who approached from behind and threw her to the ground, Joliet Police Cmdr. Brian Benton said.

A Louis Joliet Mall employee had her purse and cell phone stolen by two men who pushed her to the ground Wednesday night in the parking lot near the mall movie theater, Joliet Police Cmdr. Brian Benton said.

The woman and an acquaintance were walking to their cars at about 9:45 p.m. when the men emerged and approached her from behind, Benton said. After they grabbed her possessions, they fled in a dark-colored, four-door car, he said.

The acquaintance, who was walking to their own car, was not attacked but witnessed the crime, he said.

Because the area, near the Cinemark Louis Joliet Mall movie theater, is not well-lit, the woman and her friend did not get a good description of the suspects other than they were white and about 18 to 20 years old.

Benton said the attack was unusual because the woman was accompanied by someone, which is typically what police advise the people do to ward off potential attacks.

He said he encourages people to "trust their gut" if they get the sense that someone may be watching them, and to return to the mall, cut through rows of cars or go in the opposite direction in order to shake off someone who might be following. He also advises employees who may be leaving late to park under light poles or in other well-lit areas.


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