Ex-Lovers Grapple on Courthouse Steps: Video

JOLIET, IL — An angry ex-girlfriend flung herself at her karate expert former lover on the steps of the Will County courthouse Tuesday morning, police said.

The two women, Sara Mistakevich, 25, and her 23-year-old ex-girlfriend, had just appeared before a judge who dismissed a protective order case.

Mistakevich had sought the protective order against her former girlfriend, according to court records.

The two women shouted at each other as they rode the elevator down to the first floor, police said, and when they got outside, Mistakevich attacked her ex-girlfriend.

Witness Jamaica Morrow said Mistakevich grabbed the other woman around the neck and they both tumbled down the stairs. The other woman tried to get away but Mistakevich grabbed her neck again and started punching her in the back of the head.

The other woman then took Mistakevich to the ground.

The ex-girlfriend later told officers she has been trained in both karate and judo, according to police.

Mistakevich was taken by ambulance to Presence St. Joseph Medical Center. Her ex-girlfriend was handcuffed but released from custody after surveillance video showed Mistakevich was the aggressor, police said.

After she was treated at the hospital, Mistakevich was taken to the Will County jail.