Man Critical After Mob Beating

At least 15 young people dragged a motorist out of his car and kicked and punched him after he honked his horn to get them to move out of the street, police said Tuesday.

The 50-year-old man was in critical condition with head injuries, and it was unclear whether he would survive, police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said.

It was the latest in a series of mob beatings in the city.

Schwartz said the man was driving alone on the city’s north side late Monday, when he honked at the group of young people, about 16 to 23 years old, in the middle of the street. They surrounded the vehicle and attacked the man, she said.

A witness told police that one of the attackers climbed on top of the car, jumped and landed on the victim’s head, Schwartz said.

“They left him for dead, and when we showed up, he was lying in the street,” she said.

No immediate arrests were made.

It was unclear where the man was going or whether he lived in the area, she said.

In 2002, more than a dozen people, mostly boys, chased a man through the streets and beat him to death with shovel handles, rakes and tree limbs.

In 2004, a man with schizophrenia died after being beaten and robbed by a group. Six teens were charged; one was convicted, charges against four were dropped and one is awaiting trial.

Four days after that attack, a 14-year-old boy was kicked, punched and hit on the head with a piece of lumber after he exchanged words with a girl. He was in a coma for two weeks.

Also that summer, four brothers were beaten by a group armed with bats, bottles, sticks and socks stuffed with canned food.