Police say the firefighter, a 24-year-old man, was severely beaten and hit in the head. He's hospitalized in serious condition with a shattered trachea, a broken nose, as well as internal bleeding. He was undergoing surgery at Illinois Masonic Hospital Wednesday morning.
Police do not believe this attack is related to others in Lincoln Park and Lakeview. They also said the attack was not random.
Sources told ABC7 there was a fight between two people at a bar on Halsted that carried on into the street after closing time. It's unclear whether the firefighter was involved in the initial fight or somehow got dragged into it.
Police officers who happened to be passing by on patrol arrested two people.
This attack comes at a time when Lincoln Park residents are already on edge over previous, violent robberies in their neighborhood.
"It's so far from people's expectations here, and I think it has changed what people are doing. I think it's changed what I'm doing and how I look around," said Craig Varga, Lincoln Park resident.
