A Chicago alderman said Monday that the girlfriend of a man who was brutally beaten on the Lakefront Trail saved his life during the attack.
The 21-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was walking with his girlfriend at around 5:30 p.m. on May 5 in the 1200 block of North Lake Shore Drive, near Oak Street Beach in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, when the attack took place, according to police.
Chicago police are still searching for the man believed to be responsible, releasing surveillance footage on Monday in an effort to find him.
Officials said two groups of people exchanged words before the attack, blaming a miscommunication for a delay in reporting the incident, initially believing the victim had simply fallen to the ground.
"The victim did suffer a fractured skull from a sucker punch," 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins said, adding that he fell to the ground and was "immediately unconscious and unable to defend himself." [[482606971,C]]
His girlfriend "realized right away that he couldn't defend himself," Hopkins said, and she took action.
"She literally dove on his body to protect him from further attacks," Hopkins continued.
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"And the condition that he was in, one more kick to the head could possibly have been fatal, so it's really not an exaggeration to say that his girlfriend might have in fact saved his life," he added.
The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after the attack, officials said.
Hopkins spoke with the victim's loved ones Monday, he said, revealing that the man was released from intensive care but is still fighting for his life with a fractured skull. He remained in critical and guarded condition on Monday, authorities said.
No one is in custody in connection with the beating and the investigation remained ongoing, according to police, who asked anyone with information to contact detectives at (312) 747-8380.
