San Francisco pizza thief punches woman, steals slice

This is the margarita pizza photographed at Pizzaiolo in Oakland, Calif., Saturday March 28, 2015. This is the margarita pizza photographed at Pizzaiolo in Oakland, Calif., Saturday March 28, 2015. Photo: Randi Lynn Beach, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Randi Lynn Beach, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close San Francisco pizza thief punches woman, steals slice 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A woman suffered minor injuries in San Francisco Tuesday evening when an audacious pizza thief punched her in the face and stole her recently purchased slice, police said.

Around 5:45 p.m., the 28-year-old woman was leaving a pizza parlor near Ninth Avenue and Irving Street in the Inner Sunset when she was approached by the suspect, said Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman.

In an apparently unprovoked act, Gatpandan said the man, who is described as being in his 50s and remains at large, grabbed the slice and punched the woman in the face.

The man took a bite of the pizza and walked away, Gatpandan said. The woman was treated for swelling on the side of her face, but did not need to be hospitalized.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale