"He had some severe injuries. His lung collapsed. He had some really bad head injuries. So he was in and out of consciousness," Englewood police Detective Captain Timothy Torell said.
Police believe the victim had partied until early Sunday morning at a nearby Englewood nightclub, and then was targeted and attacked a few blocks away by three men from that same bar.
"They beat him with a baseball bat and took his brand new Lebron James sneakers and a cellphone," Torell said.
Shoeless and bleeding, the victim stumbled toward Palisades Avenue and finally collapsed near a McDonald's.
That's where officers found him thanks to a 911 call.
'In fact, that's how it was called into us. A witness called it in, saw him being beaten and called the police," Torell said.
In addition to interviewing witnesses, detectives say they are reviewing video from security cameras near the scene along Tallman Place.
They are hoping to get more information from the victim as he recovers.
Meanwhile, some who live in this community insist the weekend assault is merely an unfortunate sign of the times.
"Things happen. The economy is bad. Some people get desperate. Let's not forget about that," resident Laura Vogel said.
