Victim of Bay View Neighborhood Attack Urges People to Call 911 First Before Putting Emergencies Online

A critical call to action from a victim of a neighborhood attack. The victim did not want to speak on camera but wanted to remind people about the purpose of a phone in an emergency. It should be picked up first to dial 911 not to post about it on social media.

At the intersection of Austin and Clifford in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood is where a woman says she was screaming for help at the top of her lungs early Tuesday morning.

"It's a surprise you know."

Police say a woman and her 38-year-old boyfriend were walking when a suspect approached them. He assaulted the man before running away.

"I saw it on Facebook and I did not hear anyone scream that night."

The victim posted about the attack on social media saying "nobody bothered to call 911." but "were able to post about it on Facebook right after it took place."

One Facebook user writing, "I couldn't see anything, is she alright?"

"You hear something outside you don't see anything, what do you do, you know?"

Others who heard the victim's screams left comments - apologizing for not calling the police - saying they thought they were dreaming.

"I learned a long time ago that if you're in trouble especially being a woman just yell fire. People always come out and look at a fire but they don't always come out when they hear a scream."

Neighbor Kathy Ravely says the area has always been safe in the years she's lived here. Tom Carlonii agrees and believes that could be why neighbors didn't act on what they heard.

"If I would have heard it I'm sure I would have looked out and seen something. If I'd seen something I would have called 911, but I didn't hear anything."

Milwaukee Police are still looking for the suspect in this battery case. The victim describes him as a Hispanic man, 18 to 23 years old, 6 feet tall, with a slim to medium build. He was wearing a grey hoodie under a dark jacket with dark jeans, dark shoes, and a dark hat.