Man attacked outside Castro Theatre in San Francisco

San Francisco police are trying to track down a man witnesses say brutally beat another man in the Castro neighborhood.

The brutal attack happened just after 8 p.m. Sunday outside of the Castro Theatre. Residents said this is one of several recent incidents that's raising concerns about safety in the neighborhood.

David Ayerdi, who witnessed the incident, said he was about to get some ice cream when the incident happened.

"I saw someone being attacked pretty brutally and viscously," he said. "And there was blood all over the sidewalk. I saw punching and kicks."

The Castro neighborhood livestream camera, which is operated by the San Francisco Bay Times, caught some of the incident.

San Francisco resident Michael Petrelis shared his recording of the incident. In the video, a man is seen duck out of frame and witnesses were seen moving away from the Castro Theatre marquee.

Some people in the video were seen stopping and watching. Moments later, the same man is seen walking away from the area. Ayerdi claimed the man he saw beat the other person and credited the police for responding quickly.

"Right when I was seeing it happen, I was calling 911. And they were probably came within less than seven minutes,” he said.

Ayerdi shared videos and photos of police tending to the victim. He said that the witnesses also helped the man after the attack and his concern is a lack of regular foot patrols by police. He thinks that patrols might have prevented the attack.

Residents told NBC Bay Area Tuesday that they have also seen a recent increase in unhoused people sleeping on the streets and erratic behavior.

San Francisco resident Andreas Weigend said he was suddenly chased by someone last week on his way to buy coffee.

"And then, a guy was running after me," he said. "And then, all I could think about is Molly Stones has a security guard. So, I run into the security guard and I buy my coffee there."

Residents have also raised concerns about a recent early morning exchange of gunfire a few blocks away at Castro Street and Waller. No one was injured in that incident.

San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he is aware of many of these incidents. He added that all of them are concerning but seem to be unconnected. He also noted the police department is still dealing with a shortage of officers.

"I think our police department is doing as well as it can," he said. "It is stretched. We do not have the ability to do the kind of proactive, community policing, walking the beat to the extent that we would like."

San Francisco police said on Tuesday that they have not made an arrest in Sunday’s attack. The department has been spending millions of dollars in overtime for heavy patrols at Union Square.

The police have also been conducting high profile operations to clear out open air drug dealing and encampments in Jefferson Square Park on Mission and 16th streets.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said he is aware that clearing out certain neighborhoods could push criminals into others and his officers will respond in force as needed.

But currently, there is no indication of any special operation planned for the Castro neighborhood.