Man Attacked By Mob: 'I Saw A Bunch Of People Coming At Me'
CHICAGO (CBS) – As police vowed to crack down on the recent mob assaults in Streeterville and other neighborhoods, one of the people swarmed by the young attackers described how he fought back against his assailants over the weekend.
Krzysztof "Kris" Wilkowski has the scars on his face to prove it, CBS 2's Jim Williams reports.
Wilkowski said he had just parked his scooter on Chicago Avenue just before sundown Saturday night when he was hit in the face by a baseball.
"I thought what the heck? What kind of joke is this? Well, it hurts. It's not a joke, maybe," he says. "So I just looked up and I saw a bunch of people coming at me."
Fifteen to 20 teenagers began beating Wilkowski right across the street from the downtown campus of Northwestern University. They began "dragging me to the middle of the street, all for a stupid phone," he says.
But Wilkowski not only held on to his phone, he took on his attackers.
"As soon as I got touched, I just resisted, you know?" he says. "I was punching them back. I was trying to shove them away from me."
Five teenagers were arrested, including three charged as adults: Derodte Wright, Tavolus Picketts and Dvonte Sikes. Police say the group also attacked others in Streeterville Saturday night.
"What struck me is they had plenty of time. Instead of doing something useful, they just run in groups, attacking people at random," Wilkowski said.
In recent weeks, mobs of teenagers have created problems downtown, stealing from stores and sometimes attacking people on the street. Chicago's incoming police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, says his department won't be satisfied until all the offenders are in custody and charged.
But Kris Wilkowski says he won't let the experience discourage him from enjoying Chicago, even though bystanders did not come to his aid Saturday night.
The three teenagers charged as adults had their bonds set today at $200,000 to $300,000.
