Up to 5 attackers beat 61-year-old man to death in San Francisco

Blood on a sidewalk in San Francisco’s Tenderloin marks spot where 61-year-old man was beaten to death by four or five people on Thursday. Blood on a sidewalk in San Francisco’s Tenderloin marks spot where 61-year-old man was beaten to death by four or five people on Thursday. Photo: Kimberly Veklerov / The Chronicle Photo: Kimberly Veklerov / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Up to 5 attackers beat 61-year-old man to death in San Francisco 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Four or five attackers beat a 61-year-old man to death in broad daylight Thursday on a San Francisco street, police said.

The victim was assaulted on the southeast corner of Larkin and O’Farrell streets in the Tenderloin about 3:30 p.m., said Officer Robert Rueca, a police spokesman. Investigators are looking into whether the beating started as a robbery, he said.

The assault happened at a bus stop outside a pizzeria, witnesses said. Splatters of dried blood remained on the sidewalk and street Friday.

The medical examiner’s office identified the victim as San Francisco resident Gabriel Ramirez. He appeared to be by himself before the assault, Rueca said.

Bystanders called 911, and when officers arrived they found Ramirez unconscious, Rueca said.

A 20-year-old mother was attending to her infant when sounds of an indistinct argument reached her fourth-story apartment, across the street from the bus stop. The woman, who asked not to be identified out of safety concerns, looked out the window and saw five men arguing with a man, later identified as Ramirez.

The woman said she turned to take care of her baby, and when she returned to the window minutes later, the victim was lying in a pool of blood.

“All I know is the people who did it are always hanging around here, but they’re not here no more,” she said.

From her window, the woman watched as police attempted CPR on the man, who had apparently been knocked unconscious. The assailants had fled, she said.

The victim was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, police said.

A man who runs a nearby electronics store and declined to give his name said that by the time he peeked outside, the victim was on the ground.

“I didn’t hear or see no assault,” the man said. “People were saying he just fell over.”

Police have yet to identify a motive or locate suspects. They were canvassing the neighborhood for video surveillance and trying to locate witnesses, Rueca said.

“We’re trying to make sense of the incident,” he said. “We know there’s not a lot of sense to any violence on the street, though.”

The attackers were not seen holding weapons, police said.

Investigators urged anyone with information to contact them. Anonymous tips can be left at (415) 575-4444.

“These are the cases where the involvement of the public is really helpful to piece this together,” Rueca said.

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