Victim beaten with hammer, robbed of ukulele in San Francisco

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A pair of robbers were being sought by police after they beat a man with a hammer Sunday morning near the Civic Center in San Francisco and took his prized possession — a ukulele, officials said.

The altercation occurred about 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of O’Farrell and Polk streets, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

One of the two robbers, believed to be a 25-year-old man, distracted the 27-year-old victim by striking up a conversation about the ukulele, police said. The second assailant, a man in his 20s, then attacked the victim with a hammer, enabling his accomplice to grab the ukulele, police said.

The two thieves, who also took the victim’s cell phone and backpack, fled on foot, and have not been arrested, according to police. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi