CHICAGO — Dog owner Nick Christen walks his French Bulldog in the River West neighborhood all the time. But on Friday night, Christen noticed something odd.

“I see a car pull into the far end back there — It’s a dead end and it pulled back out a little bit,” Christen said, recalling the attack made on him and his dog. “[Then] I made a decision and I ran with my dog.”

Christen was chased by two teens armed with golf clubs, one of which can be heard laughing as they chase after him.

“They hit me in the head, fractured my skull, knocked me down,” Christen said. “I was just trying to hold onto my dog for dear life.”

While this was happening, a neighbor heard the commotion and threatened to shoot the suspects if they didn’t leave.

“I have the skull fracture, they broke the bone right behind my ear,” Christen said about his injuries. “I’ve got blood in my ear drum pushing on my brain. My jaw is messed up and I can’t chew.”

Christen ended up being taken to St. Mary’s Hospital before being transferred to Stroger Hospital for further treatment, and after other dog owners in the area got wind of what happened, they’ve started to take action, organizing group dog walks at night and working with Chicago police to try and track those responsible down.

“I’d feel so much safer,” said Lauren Capone, local dog owner. “They’re not going to go after groups, they’re going to people alone.”