Panhandler Stabs Man Who Refused To Give Money In Oak Park: Cops

OAK PARK, IL — A Chicago woman has been charged with aggravated battery after she allegedly stabbed a man who refused to give her money when she was panhandling. Diamond A. Gatewood, 28, of the 2000 block of N. Kilpatrick Ave., allegedly stabbed the victim more than a dozen times, according to police.

Police say the stabbing took place on June 17 at around 1:45 a.m. Gatewood allegedly approached the 39-year-old Chicago man and asked him for cash. When the man declined to give her money, police say Gatewood produced "a cutting instrument of some kind" and stabbed him multiple times.

The man was rushed to Loyola Medical and treated for more than a dozen wounds that were not life-threatening.

In a media release, Oak Park's acting Police Chief LaDon Reynolds said of the charges, "An incident like this quickly interests news reporters and can generate a lot of attention on social media, and then fade away just as fast. But the investigation doesn’t stop just because public interest has diminished. We always continue to work a case until an arrest is made.”

Gatewood, who has also been charged with attempted armed robbery, is set to appear in court for a bond hearing on June 26.

Image via Oak Park Police Department