PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Two University of Pittsburgh students were the victims of an apparently unprovoked attack by a group of assailants.

The attack happened early Monday morning in the 200-block of North Ditridge Street in Oakland.

“It’s really surprising,” Mitch Nisenson, a Pitt sophomore, said. “It’s not something you would expect to happen around here.”

A 19-year-old freshman was sitting on a wall in front of a building just after midnight when he was approached by as many as nine young men.

KDKA’s Ralph Iannotti reports:

Police say he was punched, beaten, kicked and stomped on and knocked unconscious when his attackers bashed his head against several parked cars.

He suffered multiple injuries, including a concussion, fractured sternum and partially collapsed lung. The student’s friend was also attacked but not as severely.

A young woman was seen videotaping part of the incident yelling, “Kick him again!”

Students said Pittsburgh police were going door-to-door to homes on Dithridge Street asking if they heard anything.

“I always have to have eyes in the back of my head in case something like this happens,” said Deanna Rowe, a Pitt senior. “And it’s just, it’s not a good feeling to have. I want to feel safe walking home at night.”

The student, whose watch was stolen, initially didn’t report the incident to police because he was afraid, but came forward at the urging of his parents.

KDKA’s Bob Allen reports:

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