HYDE PARK — A group of six people leaving the Cove Lounge early Monday morning were attacked by two men wielding hockey sticks, police said.
One of the victims, who declined to be identified, said he received three stitches in his head after being attacked at 2:15 a.m. Monday by two men he mistook for Uber drivers.
“I didn’t even believe it was a hockey stick until the building supervisor found it,” said the man, who said he was attacked in front of Jackson Shore Apartments.
The victim said he went up to two black men standing next to a black SUV at South Shore Drive and East 55th Street while trying to find a cab for a friend and asked if the two were drivers for Uber or another ride-hailing service. He said the two men, whom he thought were between 17 and 21 years old, got angry and cursed at him and his five friends.
The man said he then turned around and walked back west down 55th Street. The next thing he said he remembers is being struck on the head above his right eyebrow with a hockey stick. He said another friend was hit in the hands, but was able to grab the hockey stick away.
He said he later got three stitches in his head where he was struck and said he felt a sense of relief that it was just a hockey stick.
“It was glad it was just a hockey stick rather than a golf club or baseball bat,” he said.
The man, who said he grew up in Hyde Park, said it’s the first time he’s been attacked in the neighborhood, but it has not shaken his feelings that Hyde Park is safe.
The Chicago Police Department said no arrests have been made in connection to the incident and area central detectives are investigating. Police had no further description of the suspects.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
