An attendee at Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival was attacked and bitten on Friday night during a set at the event.
The victim, who has since been identified as Ben Lenet, was attacked during an Arctic Monkeys set on the night of August 1. In a post on social media site and Internet community Reddit, Lenet made a statement about the attack:
Me and two other friends are enjoying the show and have even made some friends around us. The mood of the crowd is really happy and a nice departure from the normal drunken debauchery. Suddenly, I turn around and some guy none of us have ever seen or spoken to, without warning, body slams my friend and begins using his hands to choke him. My other friend begins hitting the assailant in the face. I come from the other side and place my right arm on his right arm and my left arm on his right shoulder, trying to pull him off. The attacker then turns his head and clamps his teeth into my arm for a good 5 seconds. He’s not nipping at me. He’s trying to bite through my arm. At this point, all three of us are hitting him, trying to get him off me.
Lenet was rushed to a hospital nearby after the attack and received antibiotics as well as a tetanus shot. The bite broke the skin, meaning Lenet is at risk for diseases like HIV and hepatitis, so he is currently waiting for blood test results. The suspect who bit him is described as a man between the heights of 5’7″ and 5’11”, 170-210 pounds and dark-skinned, but not black. Witnesses are encouraged to contact Lenet on Reddit with information.