90-year-old woman attacked, robbed while carrying groceries in Old Town

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 90-year-old woman was attacked and robbed while carrying groceries in the Old Town neighborhood on Chicago's Near North Side. Her son says this crime makes a strong statement on the lack of safety in the city.

The woman hit from behind and knocked to the ground in the violent encounter. She remains hospitalized at Northwestern Memorial, where she's recovering from a broken hip.

"I think it's a statement of where the city is that a senior citizen can be attacked in broad daylight," the woman's son said.

He did not want to be identified after his mother was attacked on the 1400-block of N. Mohawk during the lunch hour last Thursday. The 90-year-old woman was walking home from the grocery store when a man approached from behind.

"She felt a sharp blow on her back, was pushed to the ground. Her handbag was snatched from her," her son said.

He says the attacker even stole her groceries. A nearby dog walker called 911 and she underwent surgery for a broken hip.

"I think anybody whose parents or grandparents who are similar age to my mother, walking around the streets, has got to question, 'can I safely do this?'" her son said.

The 90-year-old mother and widow now faces months of rehab. Her son said he is worried about her emotional state.

"It absolutely, Eric, has changed her outlook," her son said. "She walks four miles every day. She does the crossword every day. And today, she said to me - my mother is a widow - 'Maybe it's time for me to be with your father.'"

The woman's son has lived in Old Town for several years and has been the victim of property crime and once even witnessed the aftermath of a shooting on his block. But, he says he never imagined his 90-year-old mother would be harmed intentionally.