A Wisconsin woman is behind bars for allegedly purposely mowing down two older people with her car before bragging about it on social media and then, attacking a random man with a knife.
Katelyn A. Harmon, 25, has been charged with two counts each of attempted murder in the first degree, failure to report a crash involving personal injury, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, and four counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Police in Gurnee said Harmon was behind the wheel of a Toyota Camry the morning of Monday, February 2, when she steered towards a 79-year-old man in the parking lot of the Gurnee Hills shopping center, striking the man, who was standing near his vehicle.
Cops said Harmon then drove into a 60-year-old female in the same mall parking lot. The first 911 calls about the two incidents started coming in after 10 a.m.
The 79-year-old male sustained serious injuries and was transported to Advocate Condell Hospital, police said, while the 60-year-old female sustained an ankle injury and was transported to Lake Forest Hospital.
Harmon took to Facebook afterwards to brag about her crimes. She also posted pictures of her windshield, which was smashed from hitting the elderly man.
“I ran through gurnee mills mall parking lot and ran over people in the name of the light,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “Good intentions, praise allah Hare Krishna thank you Jesus.”
She later posted a video of herself with a large kitchen knife and taunted the police looking for her.
“Hey, they still haven’t found me,” Harmon boasts in the footage. “I guess I outsmarted the cops. God always wins. Here’s a — I’m outside this Panera Bread next to Gurnee Mills. Someone should call the cops on me. I mean, I was a good person and now I’m homeless. So, apparently, good people don’t win anymore. Whoops — still won.”
People who saw the posts started tagging the Gurnee Police, asking that they check on the two victims.
Police were searching the surrounding area for Harmon’s car when they observed a “disturbance involving a male and female engaged in a physical altercation,” according to a statement from Gurnee Police. “Officers issued verbal commands for the individuals to separate. The female stood up and aggressively approached the officer, prompting the deployment of a taser. She was subsequently taken into custody.”
After fleeing the initial crash scene, “the female entered a nearby parking lot where she approached a male seated inside his vehicle,” the statement continues.
“The female used a large butcher knife to strike the vehicle’s window and then slashed the driver’s side tire. When the male exited his vehicle, a physical struggle ensued. The male sustained several lacerations to his hands but was able to disarm the female and restrain her until police arrived.”
Local reports claim when asked why she did it, Harmon told police, “I was planning on murdering someone.” The officer asked her why, and she allegedly replied, “I just went rogue.”
Police said the investigation into Harmon’s alleged actions continues.
“All involved incidents appear to be connected and appear to be random acts of violence,” the police statement noted. “There is no ongoing threat to the public related to these events.”
