The boy was jumped by six other teens Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, Chicago police were questioning six people in connection with the attack.
The video is difficult to watch and lasts approximately three minutes. It shows a mob of young men -- who were mostly wearing masks -- cornering the victim and hitting him with chunks of ice. The attackers also take turns punching and kicking the victim in the head.
In the video, the attackers drag him around, choke him, and at times, use a shoe to beat the 17-year-old in the face -- all while yelling racial slurs at him.
The victim appears to be of Asian descent.
According to Chicago police, the young attackers also stole the boy's shoes, wallet and cash in a Bridgeport neighborhood alley in the 2800-block of South Princeton, behind James Ward Elementary School.
Eventually, the boy was able to break free and run away. He was treated for bruises, abrasions and a cut lip at an area hospital and released.
Authorities say the Sunday afternoon attack was posted online by an accomplice.
Denny Li plays basketball with the victim and says he is a nice kid who did not deserve the attack.
"It's sick. It's honestly sick. When I watched the video, I couldn't even recognize him," Li said. "I certainly believe in karma, and for you to do something like this to another human being like this, it's really sick, and I hope that the people who did this realize this is another human being."
The video has sparked outrage, drawing community activists like Andrew Holmes and Dawn Valenti out to canvass the neighborhood hoping they can pass more information on to police.
"It's just insane that this group of individuals can think this is a joke and think this is funny," Holmes said. "It's not funny, and it's not a joke, and they shall be judged."
"I started making flyers, and by 2 o'clock this morning...the video had 23,000 comments," said Valenti.
Some residents in the area said they hoped to see charges in the case soon.
"It's much more than anger, like I said, totally outraged," said neighbor Carl Segvich. "We have war in our cities right now, and if they would have had a gun, they would have probably shot the poor kid."
Authorities say they investigation into the case continues.
