2019 Woodfield Mall car attack

On September 20, 2019, 22-year-old Javier Garcia drove his black SUV through the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. No one was killed or injured by Garcia, though at least seven people suffered minor injuries in the ensuing chaos. Several storefronts were damaged, along with a large section of Sears.

Garcia's precise motive is unclear, though he was charged with terrorism, a charge that his family has disputed. The affected areas of the mall underwent several months of repairs.

## Attack

The police investigation showed that Garcia used either a computer or phone to search for "Woodfield mall" 124 times between September 19, 2019, and September 20, including 35 times in which he viewed the Sears outlet. The last search was made approximately an hour and a half before the attack.

Some time after noon on September 20, Garcia arrived at the mall and was seen walking through. At around 2:30 PM on September 20, 2019, Garcia drove his black Chevrolet Trailblazer LT through the northwest entrance of Sears, destroying two sets of sliding doors. He drove through a section of the store, destroying much of its merchandise, before entering the main concourse of the Woodfield Mall. Here, he destroyed several kiosks and displays, as well as numerous storefronts, including Clarks, Forever 21, and International Diamond Company, and narrowly missed a mall train. Several witnesses reported to police that there was an active shooter, though these claims were false. The sounds of windows shattering were likely mistaken as gunshots.

Garcia crashed into a pillar in the mall's center atrium. Two off-duty police officers and several bystanders subdued Garcia. Responding officers arrested him shortly thereafter, and he was taken to a nearby hospital. The mall had been placed on lockdown and was evacuated an hour later. Schaumburg High School was also placed on lockdown as a result of the incident.

At a press conference later that evening, police assured the public that the incident was not an act of terrorism and concluded that the perpetrator acted alone.

## Perpetrator

Javier Garcia was born on October 13, 1996, and lived in Palatine, Illinois. According to his family, Garcia suffered from schizophrenia, and had been undergoing treatment for the disorder since 2016. Garcia had been prescribed an unspecified medication for his condition.

On September 8, 2019, 12 days before the Woodfield Mall attack, Garcia was charged for committing arson in Palatine.

## Aftermath

The mall reopened the next morning. Sears's northwest entrance remained accessible, though without a door. Several storefronts were boarded up as they underwent repairs, though the stores remained open. An estimated $110,000 in damage had been caused.

On September 27, 2019, one week after the attack, Garcia was released from the AMITA Health Behavioral Medicine Institute after undergoing a mental health screening. Although authorities confirmed he had no ties to terrorist groups, he was charged with terrorism. He appeared in court two days later, and was denied bond. He was officially indicted on the charges on October 18. In 2020, Garcia was found mentally unfit to stand trial.

## Citations

1. ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-woodfield-mall-defendant-unfit-for-trial-20200313-s7uzo3veebfghfmd5g76mdx5e4-story.html