San Francisco police have arrested a suspect in an attack that left a homeless man critically injured with 50 stitches in his head.
The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Arthur Lee Jones, was detained Thursday by a police officer who recognized him from surveillance video footage of the assault, San Francisco police Officer Carlos Manfredi said. Jones is a resident of Fairfield.
Police called Wednesday night's attack "completely unprovoked and disturbing."
The incident occurred at about 9 p.m. in front of the Gang Way Bar near the intersection of Larkin Street and Geary Boulevard, in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.
Surveillance video released by police shows the victim, a well-known panhandler in the area known as Robert, sitting on a bucket. A male suspect is seen in the video walking up to Robert. The suspect then pulls out what appears to be a pipe and hits the victim in the head.
"I've never seen that guy, never seen him before," Gang Way Bar owner Jung Lee said of the suspect.
Lee and others in the neighborhood said the suspect and Robert may have had some kind of dispute earlier in the day.
"He hangs out in front of my building and I have to ask him to move sometimes," Lee said. "And when I do I hang out and talk to him myself."
Robert's friend, Michael -- who did not provide a last name -- visited the victim at San Francisco General Hospital. Michael said Robert is conscious with a serious head injury.
"He is in ICU -- neck brace, stitches on his head," Michael said.
Jones could face an attempted murder charge, police said.
Local
Bay City News contributed to this report.
