Man charged with robbing 2 women at Providence Place mall

A Providence man was charged with attacking two women in separate robberies over the weekend by the Providence Place mall.

Jamal Bouchard, 27, was set to be arraigned Monday morning on two counts of first-degree robbery in the incidents Saturday and Sunday.

“Detectives and Patrol did a commendable job investigating these two robberies and apprehending Bouchard, who had violently assaulted two completely innocent females,” Cmdr. Thomas Verdi said in an email.

One of the women was hospitalized for treatment, needing stitches after the attack, according to police.

Police responded to the first incident at about 8:30 p.m. The victim, a 30-year-old woman, told police she got into the elevator above the CVS to go to the ground level and saw two men already in there. Once the elevator door closed, one of the men punched her in the face, grabbed her by the hair and repeatedly struck her in the face and head, police said.

The suspect took her black handbag, which had personal documents, $80, and credit and debit cards. The other man didn’t say or do anything during the attack, the victim told police.

A few hours later, at about 2 a.m., police responded to Francis Street and Finance Way, just outside the mall, and found a crowd of people standing around a 25-year-old woman bleeding from her face with a large cut on her forehead and a bruise under her eye.

The woman told police she was walking in that area when a man pushed her to the ground and took her purse, which had her license, credit and debit cards, and an iPhone.

The woman was taken to Roger Williams Medical Center. Meanwhile, she gave police her “Find My iPhone” information, an app that lets people track down their devices.

A robbery squad detective soon spotted a man matching the suspect’s description sitting on a bench at Burnside Park. The man took off, police said, but was later caught on Union Street.

The suspect was identified as Bouchard, police said. An iPhone fell out of his pocket while he was being arrested, and the Find My iPhone app indicated the phone was on Union Street, according to police.

Bouchard is now charged with both robberies, accused of attacking both women. The other man in the elevator with him hasn't been identified. Bouchard's criminal record includes pleas for second-degree robbery and breaking and entering, according to records.