A 25-year-old man was swarmed in central Halifax on Monday night. (CBC)The victim of a swarming in Halifax on Monday night is speaking out about the attack in an effort to warn others.

The 25-year-old man, who does not want to be identified for fear of retaliation, says he was walking with two female friends on Davison Street in central Halifax at around 9 p.m.

He said he saw a group of between six and 10 young people, males and females, on the other side of the street.

"One of them crossed the street and approached us, asking for a light for a cigarette," the victim told CBC News. "[We] noticed he had a lit cigarette in his mouth and he gave us this really ominous look, and next thing I know, I'm hit."

The man, formerly of Fredericton, said he and his friends started yelling for help and the youths ran away.

"At that point I realized I was bleeding like crazy," he said. "There was blood all over the sidewalk from my hand."

Halifax Regional Police said the man was beaten in the head with a steel handle from a broom. In addition to his head injuries, the victim said he has a black eye, a split lip and a gash in his hand, which will require surgery to repair nerve damage.

The victim said his sense of security is shaken and that will not be easy to fix.

"When you have five people punching you and you see your friends down on the ground being punched and kicked and stuff, it's more emotional damage than it is really physical."

A 14-year-old and a 17-year-old have been questioned by police, but no charges have been laid.

The victim of a swarming, who does not want to be identified, says he will need surgery to repair nerve damage to his hand. (CBC)The Davison Street incident is just one of five similar incidents being investigated by the Halifax Regional Police.

Victims robbed

About five minutes before the Davison Street incident, police say a group of 15 to 20 young people approached a man on nearby Gladstone Street and asked him for a cigarette.

Several people in the group punched and kicked the man, then took off with his cellphone, said police. The man ended up with cuts on his face and ear.

There were two similar assaults Friday at 9:20 p.m. and 11:37 p.m., both in the Maitland Street area.

In the first incident, a couple said they were approached by a group of six to eight males in their late teens. They were asked for a cigarette and, when they said they didn't have one, the group assaulted them.

In the second Friday night incident, a man was walking alone when he was similarly assaulted by a group of six to eight people. The man was able to make his way to a home nearby where he called police.

A third assault in the same area — Maitland Street and Divas Lane — happened Saturday at 8:43 p.m. A couple was asked for a cigarette and when the male victim said he didn't have any, he was punched.

A fourth attack took place in the Agricola and Charles streets area early Sunday.

Halifax Regional Police Const. Brian Palmeter said police believe the incidents are connected and are investigating them collectively.

"We are going to increase our patrols and put resources in place to address these incidents," he said Tuesday. "These incidents are cowardly attacks which will not be tolerated."