Dallas (WBAP/KLIF) – An Arlington woman has been hospitalized after a juvenile boy attacked her while she was walking in the city’s Veteran’s Park Wednesday.
Police say the boy is suffering from mental illness and attacked her because he “heard voices that told him to.”
They say she was attacked with a sharp weapon, likely a piece of glass just before 5:00 last night.
The boy was taken to a mental health facility, and will be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when he is released.
The incident has put a spotlight on Arlington’s efforts at dealing with mental illness situations. The department is one of 400 nationwide participating in the ‘One Mind’ campaign aimed at training officers to better detect and handle those situations.
Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson tweeted about the issue after Thursday’s arrest.
Mental illness continues to be a significant issue for our profession and communities. Yesterday, a juvenile suspect assaulted a woman while she was walking in a park. The suspect was diagnosed with severe mental disorders when voices told him to attack her. She was hospitalized. pic.twitter.com/S9mtxxBge4
— Will Johnson (@ArlingtonChief) April 12, 2018
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