Video shows man grabbing gun from suspect in S.F. home invasion

Here’s something you don’t see often: A robber pulls a gun on a man in the man’s garage, they struggle, the victim wrests the gun away from the assailant — and it’s all captured on the home security camera.

Now the question is whether the assailant will be captured as well.

The attempted home invasion took place on Monday, Sept. 28, at 8:45 a.m. in the 1300 block of La Playa Street in the Outer Sunset, according to police. The resident had opened the garage door to bring in his recycling bin. When he came back inside, he was charged from behind by a man with dreadlocks wearing a gray hoodie.

The video shows the assailant getting a hammerlock on the victim and pulling out a gun as the two careen out of sight in the garage — but when they come back into view the victim is gaining the advantage. They sprawl on the concrete floor as the target of the assault tries to pin down his attacker and get control of the gun. About 80 seconds into the video he succeeds. No more is seen of the assailant, who apparently ran off.

“The victim was lucky — you don’t usually see an outcome like that,” said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a police spokesman. According to Manfredi, “the gun had no bullets, or no magazine was attached.”

Home invasions of this sort are unusual in this corner of the Outer Sunset near Golden Gate Park: “We don’t know why this victim was targeted, or if it was a crime of opportunity,” said Manfredi, who described the suspect as a black male, older, with dreadlocks. “We want to make sure the assailant is taken off the streets. Even if he doesn’t have this gun, he may have another one.”

Anyone with possible information related to the assault is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department’s tip line at (415) 575-4444. The 93-second security video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/f7unUyPU8vA.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron