Westin Hotel Stabbing: Jimmy Harris Charged In Magnificent Mile Stabbing In Chicago

Updated story

Charges were filed Sunday in the stabbing attack inside a Gold Coast hotel shortly after the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, which attracted more than a million people to the area.

Jimmy Harris, 56, of Chicago, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery with intent to do great bodily harm in the Saturday evening stabbing incident at the Westin Hotel in the 900 block of North Michigan Avenue.

The suspect had been out on parole just one week prior to the stabbing incident and was denied bond Monday. He has a history of at least 60 arrests -- including nine felony convictions -- dating back to the late 1970s, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Harris allegedly attempted to rob 67-year-old oncologist Dr. Mir Shah in the restroom of a restaurant inside the Westin around 8 p.m. Saturday, ABC Chicago reports. Shah was stabbed in the neck during the conflict that ensued and a 35-year-old hotel employee who attempted to intervene in the confrontation was also injured.

According to NBC Chicago, Shah had attended the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival with his family prior to the stabbing. Both injured men are expected to fully recover.

"This was an enjoyable night out for the family turned horribly tragic, but it could have been much worse," Shah's family said in a statement, NBC reports.

Despite the stabbing and a police-involved shooting nearby over the weekend, Mayor Rahm Emanuel insisted Monday that the Magnificent Mile shopping district, an area popular with tourists, remains a safe destination, according to the Sun-Times.