Police were called to Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie at about 11:01 a.m. Tuesday after a man allegedly hit a woman with a bag, pushed her into a koi pond and held her underwater. Police described the incident as an attempted robbery and an unprovoked assault. The woman was taken to a hospital with injuries; the man was in custody, and no charges had been announced. A report that the man had a handgun was unsubstantiated.
According to nbcchicago.com, police responded to the mall following an incident involving a koi pond, and witnesses reported seeing a woman submerged in the pond while a man held her underwater. The same outlet reported that the man was detained. CBS News also reported on the pond-side assault Tuesday morning, shortly after 11 a.m.
Police Investigate Pond Assault
Skokie police were called to the mall at about 11:01 a.m. Tuesday. Police described the incident as an attempted robbery and assault, and the man was detained. No charges had been announced.
Confusion Over What Witnesses Actually Saw
One witness described seeing a woman attacked near a koi pond and said they initially thought the man was swimming alone before noticing the woman underwater with him. Police described the incident as an attempted robbery and an unprovoked assault.
It is not the first time this particular mall has gone into lockdown over a reported weapon. A separate incident in July 2025 also involved a call of a person with a gun that led to a lockdown and a scare for people working and shopping at the center, according to CBS Chicago's earlier reporting on that event.
The man was in custody, and no charges had been announced. The incident took place at a pond at the north end of the mall.
