Walgreens employees stabbed, beaten by teens in downtown San Francisco

Photo: Google Maps A man was stabbed at the Walgreens store on the 100 block of Powell...

A Walgreens employee was stabbed and a security guard was beaten during an altercation early Wednesday in front of a downtown San Francisco store between Market Street and Union Square, police said.

Shortly after 2 a.m., four men between the ages of 17 and 19, one armed with a handgun, started to argue with the security guard in the doorway of the Walgreens on the 100 block of Powell Street, police said.

A suspect punched the security guard in the face, and when an employee came to help, two of the men attacked him, police said. One of the attackers pulled a knife and repeatedly stabbed the employee in the back before the group fled, said Sgt. Monica MacDonald.

Officers swarmed the area, detained three of the suspects and recovered a handgun, MacDonald said. The fourth suspect, who punched the security guard, remained at large. Both victims were hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Police booked 18-year-old Damareay Mitchell and 19-year-old Antonio Rosales, both of San Francisco, on a raft of charges including attempted murder, conspiracy and illegal gun possession. A third 17-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, was in juvenile custody.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky