Police: Patient Stabs Caretaker in the Neck In Westfield Mall Food Court

A patient of Community Mental Health Affiliates out of Middletown allegedly stabbed a caretaker in the neck with a pocket knife in the food court at Westfield Shopping Mall Thursday afternoon, according to Meriden Police. The victim's injuries are reportedly not life-threatening.

Police have not released the names or ages of either the suspect or victim, both women. The victim was taken to Hartford Hospital, and the suspect to the Meriden Police department for processing.

"We're still investigating where she got the knife," Police spokesman Sergeant Leonard Caponigro said at the scene.

The two women were reportedly part of a group trip to the Meriden shopping mall.

Police received a call about the incident at 12:38 p.m. By 2:30 p.m., yellow police tape still cordoned off half of the food court's seating area in front of Charley's Grilled Subs, as investigators interviewed mall patrons and store employees.

Some food court patrons were visibly rattled by the incident, and declined to speak with Patch. Most shoppers seemed unaware that the stabbing had occured.

Caponigro said that the investigation was ongoing, and that police might know more when they viewed a security tape from the food court.

Marketing Director Pamela Wiles said that Meriden Police arrived at the scene quickly and along with mall security swiftly took control of the situation.