S.F.’s 5th and Mission garage reopened after shooting, search

Police block off an area around the Fifth & Mission Parking Garage Wednesday evening November 24, 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. Police block off an area around the Fifth & Mission Parking Garage Wednesday evening November 24, 2015 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Brian Feulner Photo: Brian Feulner Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close S.F.’s 5th and Mission garage reopened after shooting, search 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

The bustling Fifth and Mission Parking Garage in downtown San Francisco was locked down for about two hours Wednesday evening after a man was shot multiple times from behind and critically wounded, and the shooter — who remained on the loose — fled, police reported.

The 2,500-space parking structure, which is near some of the city’s most popular shopping areas, was closed while police searched for the assailant inside the building.

Around 6:30 p.m., a man in his 20s shot another man in his “lower extremities” as the victim tried to pay for parking at a booth outside the garage across from the Bloomingdale’s San Francisco Centre, said San Francisco police spokesman Officer Carlos Manfredi. The assailant ran into the parking garage to hide, prompting the police to seal the area and conduct a floor by floor search until they determined he had left the area.

“This happened very quickly and sporadically. From what I understand there was no communication between them,” said Manfredi, while adding that it appears the men knew each other.

“It’s unusual just because there’s a lot of people here,” Manfredi said. “We’re approaching the holidays, we have Thanksgiving tomorrow so there’s a lot of Christmas shoppers out here.”

The garage reopened about 8:30, but the assailant remained at large.

Officers were continuing to search for the man. Police plan to review surveillance video from the incident, Manfredi said.

The victim was taken to San Francisco General, and was listed in critical but stable condition, police said.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno