Man beaten and robbed leaving downtown Chicago bar shares warning after learning of similar attack

CBS News

7 days ago

A man who was attacked in River North while visiting his kids last week is warning others after learning about another similar attack in the neighborhood a short time later.
Chicago police sent out a community alert on Monday, warning people in River North to be cautious in the wake of the attacks.
Police said a group of 1 to 3 people were going up to bar patrons as they were leaving for the night, and beating and robbing them.
That's what happened to one dad who was crossing the Dearborn Street Bridge last Friday night into Saturday morning.
Doug Schmitt says he left Howl at the Moon Chicago, a piano bar in River North, around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning. He was walking back to his hotel over the Dearborn Street Bridge when he was attacked.
"I didn't hear anybody behind me, I didn't see anybody behind me, and lights went out," Schmitt said. "When I woke up, I was laying chest-down on the sidewalk. I don't remember getting hit."
Schmitt said he doesn't know how long he was laying on the bridge, but he was covered in blood.
"Everything was gone," he said.
His phone, wallet, and hotel key were nowhere to be found. Schmitt said he got back to the hotel, where staff called him an ambulance to the nearest hospital.
"I was hit in the back of the head. It looks like I have road rash back there," he said.
He said doctors confirmed he had a concussion. They gave him stitches on his face and glued up a cut on his head.
Schmitt said the hardest part was he didn't have a phone, so he couldn't call his family. He was discharged later Saturday morning.
Sam, another victim the same night, said he was leaving Boss Bar around 2 a.m. when he was attacked. He was diagnosed with a brain bleed.
Schmitt said a friend sent him Sam's story.
"If I didn't know any different, I would think that you just used an alias name Sam," Schmitt said.
Schmitt said he's now battling dizziness throughout the day.
"It was a bad experience. I just wasn't ready for that," he said.
While his experience is in the rearview mirror, Schmitt said he wants others to be aware if they are heading out in the area this weekend.
"It probably hasn't hit home, but the Chicago P.D. said I was probably pretty lucky," he said.
Police said they have no updates, pictures, or videos of the suspects to share at this time. Detectives are still investigating.