The stabbing was reported at about 1:50 a.m. near the intersection of 16th and Mission streets, where the 28-year-old victim had just left a bar, San Francisco police Sgt. Mike Andraychak said.
The man was walking home when he was confronted by four men between the ages of 20 and 25, Andraychak said.
The suspects questioned the man about the color of his shirt then stabbed him without provocation, police said.
The victim was taken to a hospital with injuries that were initially considered life-threatening. He is now expected to survive, police said today.
The man told police he thinks the suspects were gang members who mistook him for someone else, Andraychak said.
The suspects fled after the stabbing and had not been arrested as of this morning, police said.
The Police Department's gang task force is assisting in the investigation into the stabbing, Andraychak said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.
