Family of Heights Teen Hurt in Baseball Bat Attack Fearful, Grieving

A Chicago Heights teen continued his fight for recovery Friday after hospital and family sources said.

The 18-year-old, whom Patch.com is not identifying at his family's request, remained hospitalized in critical condition at Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, hospital sources said.

The teen underwent surgery Monday night, his brother said.

The teen was initially transported to , but then was later airlifted to the trauma hospital, police said. 

A resident on the block told police he saw three men running from the crime scene, several houses down from the house where the victim collapsed.

The victim's brother, who requested anonymity, stood outside the family's modest home Thursday afternoon, a few blocks from a park where a bus visits every weekday to distribute free lunches to the community's poorest children.

Speaking barely above a whisper, the brother, who appeared distraught, said that the violent attack had left the teen's family members grieving, disoriented and fearful for their own safety.

The mother remained by the injured teen’s side, offering support as he struggled to recover from head trauma caused by severe injuries, the brother said.

The injured teen had attended Bloom High School but dropped out before attaining his diploma, the brother said.

The neighborhood in the 300 block of East 22nd Street where the bloody, bruised teen staggered in flight from his attacker or attackers was quiet Thursday, with modest, tidy homes decorated with a perimeter of neatly trimmed shrubs and cut grass. Nearby stands the San Rocco Oratory, 315 E. 21st St., a Catholic parish that for many is a symbol of resurrection in Chicago Heights, having been built after successful appeals to the late Cardinal Bernardin and Rome.

But several blocks east on 22nd Street, across the railroad tracks, there are boarded-up buildings and vacant lots, with a cluster of carnicerías providing the street's sole activity. 

The Chicago Heights Police Department’s Detective Division and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the case. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact at 708-756-6400, or the hotline number at 708-756-6421.