Family of Chinatown attack victim fears elderly man 'will never be the same'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The family of an elderly man randomly attacked while walking in Chinatown fears that their patriarch "will never be the same."

Yen Jit Wong was sucker punched by 45-year-old Alexander Taylor as he was walking on Wentworth Avenue near 24th Street on Sept. 18. Wong fell, landing him in intensive care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Wong's family told ABC7 Eyewitness News Tuesday that he has been moved to a rehab facility and is undergoing extensive physical therapy, but that his condition has not necessarily improved. Wong can't stay awake more than two hours per day and still has to receive nutrition through a tube because he can't swallow.

Wong's grandson said doctors fear the elderly man may have sustained permanent brain damage.

Taylor was charged with three felony counts related to this attack: one count of aggravated battery of a victim over the age of 50, one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and one count of aggravated battery in a public place.

"I just hope criminals like these stay off the streets. They don't contribute to anything but pain and grief," Lau said of Taylor. "We get the sense that our grandfather will never be the same."