SFPD asking commuters for help solving fatal beating of homeless man

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Police are still searching for the three men they say beat a homeless person to death last week in San Francisco.

Stopping commuters at the Montgomery BART station, police and volunteers passed out pictures from the nearby scene of a bloody killing.

"Guys, can you help us find homicide suspects? Keep your eye out for homicide suspects, please," said one volunteer.

"We're looking for homicide suspects that beat a poor homeless guy to death," said another.

At a press conference on Tuesday, veteran officers described the homicide.

"I have 25 years in, this is a really awful attack, probably one of the worst I've ever seen," said one of the investigators.

They released photos of the victim, 67-year-old Tai Lam, who weighed less than a hundred pounds and used crutches to get around. He was sleeping when the three men show up and began beating and kicking him.

Police say he survived the first attack, but the suspects came back and finished the murder.

"Savage is the only word I think that appropriately describes it. It's just a brutal, savage assault," said Inspector John Cagney.

Investigators hoped releasing surveillance video would help someone recognize the killers. But two days later, with no one in custody, they took to the streets.

Police hope by catching people on their way home, they can start spreading the word beyond San Francisco, back to the communities where these commuters live, maybe right next door to the suspects.

Authorities believe the suspects either came in through BART or MUNI. Police say they might have attended a heavily photographed event called Flask Mob.

"It's a really awful story," said a commuter.

"It makes me feel uneasy because I'm a woman, I'm not that strong, so I wouldn't want that to happen to me," said Marissa Darwin, also a commuter.

Police hope someone speaks up. But one onlooker was pessimistic. "People just don't want to get involved anymore, but I can actually see their point, because a lot of these kids are carrying guns now," said Chad Carmack.

Police say there were no weapons in this killing and no robbery. They found $1,000 cash still on the victim's body.

"We want to make sure that we find these people as a priority and we want to get them off our streets and then find out why they did what they did," explained Albie Esparza with SFPD.