Man says he was assaulted by teens near Buckingham Fountain

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man says he was attacked by a group of teen while walking near Chicago's iconic Buckingham Fountain, resulting in fractures to his face.

The attack left Jay Parsons with a facial fracture and injuries to his hand. He's still trying to make sense of it all 24 hours later.

"I'm still pretty shocked. You go to these busy areas, tourist areas. You don't expect to get hit and then it happens," Parsons said.

Parsons said he was walking on the lakefront path north of Buckingham Fountain around 6:20 p.m. Sunday evening. He said of 10 to 12 high school-age teenager, boys and girls, were walking towards him as a group. One of them peeled off from the pack.

"I heard him say to his friends, 'Hey, I'm going to go swimming now.' And he kind of ran off to the side, and then he must have peeled back, and that's when he hit me," Parsons said.

As Parsons hit the ground, witnesses came to his aid. One of them took photos of some of the teens apparently running away, he said.

Parsons also had a warning for people as summer quickly approaches.

"Just keep your eyes open and be careful out there. Try to walk in groups if you can," he said.