San Francisco police hope to identify video suspects who beat
homeless man

March 6, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - San Francisco police are seeking the public's help in identifying three people who apparently assaulted a homeless man early Sunday morning, according to police Sgt. Neville Gittens.

Gittens said the assault occurred between 4:03 a.m. and 4:13 a.m. outside a shop at 118 Waverly Place in Chinatown.

The shop's owner reported the assault at 11:15 a.m. Sunday after he saw the beating while reviewing overnight footage from a surveillance camera in the shop's doorway, according to Gittens.

"(The camera) looks down upon the entryway of the store,'' Gittens said.

In the footage, three male suspects assault the victim, kicking him and hitting him in the head, Gittens said.

Gittens said the victim has not come forward and that police don't know the extent of the man's injuries. However, the video footage showed him walking away after the beating.

He said the case has been assigned to the Police Department's general works detail. "As we speak, two inspectors are following up on this case,'' Gittens said this afternoon.

The suspects are three Asian males, according to Gittens, who described the first suspect as between the ages of 22 and 28, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. That suspect was wearing a hip-length jacket over a black tank top, and wore white shoes.

The second suspect stands about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs about 130 pounds and was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt, faded blue jeans and black shoes, Gittens said.

The third suspect was wearing a dark jacket, a white shirt, white pants and white shoes, and stands about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs roughly 130 pounds, according to Gittens.

Anyone with information on the assault or the suspects is asked to call the general works detail at (415) 553-1141 or the Police Department's tip line at (415) 575-4444.

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