Woman Tries to Hang Herself in Kohl's Restroom, Police Say

• Sign up for the Plainfield Patch newsletter
• Like Plainfield Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Ashleigh Nussbaum, 29, of 24119 W. Hazelcrest Drive, Plainfield, was charged with aggravated battery to a police officer in the incident, which began when she ran into the 2510 Route 59 store at about 8:35 p.m., followed by her boyfriend, Roechner said.

Nussbaum raced into the restroom and demanded that the woman who was there leave, he said. She then took a belt, wrapped it around a metal bar above one of the stall doors and attempted hang herself, he said.

The boyfriend, the store manager and store employee Nickolas Killian went into the restroom and attempted to save Nussbaum. Killian said while the boyfriend and manager held up her weight, and he was able to get into one of the stalls and undo the belt.

"She was hanging free when I went in there," said Killian, of Plainfield, an 18-year-old freshman at Lewis University in Romeoville. "If it wasn't for the manager and the boyfriend, it would have been a lot worse."

Nussbaum was clearly agitated and didn't want to be restrained, he said.

"She kept pleading, 'Just let me do (kill myself),'" he said.

A female police officer arrived shortly after the three got her down, and her presence provoked Nussbaum to attack. Roechner said she raced at the officer, tried to choke her and took her to the ground. At one point, she pulled out fistfuls of the officer's hair, he said.

Killian said the officer tried to reach for her stun gun, but Nussbaum fought her for it. The device went off once, but didn't strike anyone, he said.

Nussbaum was finally restrained when a second officer arrived and managed to put handcuffs on her, Roechner and Killian said.

She was taken to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation, and will be booked into the Will County jail later.

Roechner said Nussbaum has a history of bipolar and schizophrenic illness and has tried to commit suicide in the past.

The officer was also taken to Presence St. Joseph, where she was treated of bruises and cuts, he said.

According to jail and court records, Nussbaum was arrested in 2008 and 2009 on charges of aggravated battery to a police officer. She was also charged with battery and driving under the influence of alcohol, both in 2008.

Killian said the incident was unnerving, but he was glad he was there to help.

"It was scary," he said. "It didn't really bother me (initially), but then I kept remembering the image of seeing her hanging. ... If she had a gun, it would have been a lot more serious than it was."