Man robbed, punched on Muni train after telling teens to be quiet

A man was punched and robbed after he told a group of six teenage boys on a Muni train to be quiet, police said. A man was punched and robbed after he told a group of six teenage boys on a Muni train to be quiet, police said. Photo: Erik Verduzco, The Chronicle Photo: Erik Verduzco, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man robbed, punched on Muni train after telling teens to be quiet 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 44-year-old San Francisco man was punched and robbed when he told a group of teenagers to quiet down on a Muni train, officials said Thursday.

The man was riding the J-Church train about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday when he told a group of “loud and disruptive” teenagers to be quiet, prompting one of them to push him to the ground and five others to join in and pummel him, police said.

Someone stole the man’s backpack, along with the computer tablet and money inside.

The altercation happened in the area of Church and 18th streets.

“It was the way of saying it that upset the suspects,” said Officer Wilson Ng, a police spokesman, who said he couldn’t disclose what the victim said. “It’s not the nicest thing to say.”

The victim walked away with a bruised lip but refused medical treatment, officials said.

A woman got caught in the melee and lost her cell phone. She wasn’t sure whether it was taken by the teenagers, Ng said.

Anyone with information about the incident can leave a tip at (415) 575-4444.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov