Woodfield responds to Schaumburg mayor: Barriers are in place at entrances we control
A day after Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly called for protective barriers at all Woodfield Mall entrances to prevent a repeat of Friday's mayhem, mall management Sunday said the lack of such barriers at a Sears entryway was a decision by the retailer, not Woodfield.
Authorities say a man driving an SUV plowed into that Sears entrance Friday afternoon, roaring first through the store before lurching into the mall's common area and smashing into storefronts and kiosks. Despite the chaos, no serious injuries were reported.
The man, whose identity has not been made public, was taken to Amita Health Behavioral Medicine Institute for treatment and police say there will be no charges until his release. Schaumburg police Sgt. Karen McCartney said there were no updates Sunday.
Responding to Dailly's calls for barriers known as bollards - short, thick posts that would prevent a vehicle from bursting into the mall - at all entrances, mall management said Sunday that such barriers are in place at all the entryways it controls.
"However, the Sears property is owned by Sears, not the mall," the statement reads. "Therefore the decision regarding whether or not to install bollards at their entrance is up to them. With respect to the mayor, he should direct his comments to Sears which owns its store."
A Sears representative could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Woodfield also disputed comments Dailly made Saturday indicating the village previously asked Woodfield to install barriers at all entrances.
"We are unaware of any previous discussions with the mayor regarding bollards," the mall's statement reads.
However, Dailly said Sunday the discussions took place last year after village police conducted a walk-through of Woodfield with mall staff to identify potential security issues.
Dailly noted there's been some turnover in mall management since.
"The people who are there now may not be familiar with it," he said. "We're going to make sure they're familiar with it."