A brutal attack left a concertgoer seriously injured after she says she was beaten outside of the House of Blues on Sunday night, with security guards standing just feet away from her.
The incident occurred during a concert, but things turned ugly for Carly Whitaker when she was escorted outside of the venue, where she says she was beaten by five people while security guards stood nearby and watched.
“It was men kicking me in the face, and a woman as well,” she said.
Whitaker says she has stitches both inside and outside of her mouth, and she’s only now able to see out of her left eye after three days.
The fight began inside of the House of Blues, when a man demanded that Whitaker’s friend move. When she didn’t, the man punched her friend in the face.
Management at the venue kicked both the man and Whitaker, among others, out. Whitaker asked if she could wait to walk out with her friend, and she says they denied that request.
“As I’m on the phone with her, they let the five people out that were fighting us inside, and as soon as I realized they were coming up, I dropped to the ground and my first instinct was to block my teeth,” she said.
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Whitaker says she laid on the ground, hoping someone would come help her, but no one did.
She has hired an attorney, and plans to take legal action against the House of Blues.
“I just think it’s about right and wrong and if people aren’t speaking up about what’s happening, it’s not going to change the process,” she said.
Chicago police confirmed Whitaker’s account of the attack, and say they have not yet placed any of the five individuals involved into custody.
The House of Blues did not respond to requests for comment.
