Palatine Man 'Completely Overcharged' With Terrorism: Attorney

PALATINE, IL — A Palatine man charged with terrorism after allegedly driving his car into Woodfield Mall was "completely overcharged," a report quotes his attorney as saying.

Javier Garcia, of the 1300 block of N. Geneva, has been charged with five counts of terrorism and one charge of criminal damage to property. He was released from a behavioral health facility and was taken into police custody in connection with the Sept. 20 incident at Woodfield.

Defense attorney Amil Alkass said Garcia has mental health issues, adding he was overcharged, the Daily Herald reported.

Garcia's other attorney, James Doerr, questions whether Garcia has the capacity to plan a terrorist attack. "I don't think he's even capable of forming intent," he said, according to the Herald.

Alkass said the incident was an accident, according to the Chicago Tribune.

According to CBS, investigators found that Garcia had searched for the mall 124 times on search engines in the 24 hours preceding the incident.

A video of the incident is below, including in a CBS report:

Garcia appeared for a bond hearing in Cook County Criminal Court on Sunday, where a judge denied him bond.

Several stores and kiosks were damaged as the vehicle drove through the mall, according to media reports. Witnesses reportedly said the SUV crashed into a pillar.

Several people inside the mall captured the scary situation on video and posted the videos, and photos of the chaos on social media.

See more on Patch:

• Driver in Woodfield Incident Charged With Terrorism
• Bond Denied For Javier Garcia, 22, Charged With Terrorism In Woodfield Mall Incident
• Woodfield Driver Taken to Behavioral Health Clinic: Police
• Schaumburg Mayor Demands Entrance Barriers At Woodfield Mall

A police investigation revealed Garcia was acting alone and a motive has not been determined, according to a Sunday news release from Schaumburg police. Police have no reason to believe Garcia was targeting any specific person or store within Sears or Woodfield Mall.

Police started fielding multiple 911 calls regarding a black SUV-style vehicle that drove through a mall entrance near Sears and Rainforest Cafe at 2:21 p.m. on Sept. 20, according to a statement from the Schamburg Police Department. The SUV then drove through the mall common area before coming to a stop in the mall center court.

Three people were taken to the hospital following the incident but were not hit by the SUV, police said.