Fifteen men surrounded him and beat him mercilessly in the parking lot outside the nightclub, attacking him as well as his girlfriend. Matthias Vacatello, 21, a resident of Como but the son of a Sardinian immigrant, risks losing an eye. After being admitted to intensive care at Lanusei Hospital, the young man will travel to Sassari today for maxillofacial surgery. The physical consequences of the beating are severe: in addition to the eye injuries, the young man, a seasonal employee at a nightclub in Santa Maria Navarrese, also suffered a compound fracture of the cheekbone and a rib. "Before I fainted, I thought I was going to die," said Matthias Vacatello, the victim of a vicious attack after spending the evening between Saturday and Sunday outside a nightclub in Arbatax.

The attack

Vacatello was savagely beaten and left to die on the pavement. His girlfriend, a minor, was overwhelmed by despair and assisted him, along with the bar's security personnel, who, within moments, reached the scene of the incident. Then came a blare of sirens and flashing lights from the emergency vehicles and the Carabinieri of the Lanusei branch.

The 21-year-old was lying in a pool of blood, his skull damaged by an object, possibly a rock, that struck him in the back of the head. Vacatello has clear memories up until the moment he was struck. "We went dancing with my girlfriend. Everything was going well. Then I accompanied her to the bathroom and a young man said something nice to her. When she came out, she kissed me and he threatened me, saying, 'I'll shoot you in the mouth.'" This is the victim's version. The encounter outside, around 4:00 a.m., was a bloodbath. Lured toward a car with a request to confront him, Vacatello was attacked from behind and, when he fell to the ground, was hit with kicks and punches. The young man lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital by emergency personnel who, in an ambulance, transported him for further treatment.

The investigations

While the boy was being transferred to intensive care, the Carabinieri began an investigation to identify those responsible for the attack. Footage from the video surveillance system at the nightclub, one of Ogliastra's most popular nightlife destinations, could be crucial. Carabinieri personnel, coordinated by the Lanusei Prosecutor's Office, have acquired the digital equipment, which they are now combing through: every frame could prove useful in gathering valuable evidence as the investigation continues. Meanwhile, the boy will be admitted to the Sassari hospital today, where doctors will attempt to save his injured eye through delicate surgery. "I live with nightmares of those terrible moments. I'm having trouble sleeping, I was so scared," Vacatello concludes his account. A precise prognosis will be made today: he is expected to need more than 40 days of treatment.