For the second time in less than a month there's been a nighttime attack in the parking lot at Potomac Mills mall.
A Fairfax County woman was headed to her car in the JC Penney parking lot around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when she was targeted by a pair of men, police said. The approached from behind, quickly snatched her purse and fled toward IKEA.
K-9 units arrived soon after but couldn’t find the men.
On March 20, an employee leaving work after dark was grabbed by a man who started choking her. She broke away.
There's no similarity between that man and the men from Tuesday night.
The mall’s manager emailed a statement reading, "We take this very seriously as we maintain a zero tolerance policy against crime. We will continue to work with the Prince William County Police Department and Virginia State Police as part of our comprehensive security program."
Police said the recent incident don’t indicate a problem at the mall, but they urge shoppers to take precautions.
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One local leader plans to keep the spotlight on mall crime as evidence the county needs more police officers. Next Tuesday Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart will propose a boost in the force. He will try to convince the board to fund another 125 officers over five years.
