San Francisco man badly beaten by 6 men over cellphone

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Police are investigating a ruthless attack in San Francisco's Mission District on 16th Street near Mission Street. A man was beaten unconscious over a cellphone. The victim was treated for his injuries at San Francisco General Hospital.

Cassandra, who lives on the street in the Mission, says she saw the victim shortly after the attack. She told ABC7 News, "He was messed up ma'am. He was messed up."

The victim was walking down 16th Street towards Mission Street. Cassandra asked him for change, then saw his face. She said, "He had injuries like to the head. He had like big red spots where I guess they kicked him on each side of his face when he was down."

Police say the attack and robbery happened around 1:30 a.m. A group of six men brutally beat the victim up and stole his cellphone.

On a dispatch audio recording, a San Francisco police officer reported the incident: "30-year-old male, conscious and breathing. Said he got punched and kicked in the head. Lost consciousness."

He also broke a tooth. When the victim came to, he hailed a cab to the Mission police station. People who saw the attack say he made the crucial mistake of taking out something valuable, then getting distracted.

Marc Anthony O'Neill said, "Don't be flaunting your wealth in front of people."

They say this type of thing is happening more and more in the neighborhood. Large groups intimidate and rob people.

"They wanted more than his phone. They wanted to beat him up," O'Neill said.

The 35-year-old victim was treated for his injuries at San Francisco General Hospital and is expected to be OK.