British tourist stabbed in head during S.F. robbery

Construction workers on the block of the stabbing had not heard of the incident. Construction workers on the block of the stabbing had not heard of the incident. Photo: Kimberly Veklerov / Kimberly Veklerov / The Chronicle Photo: Kimberly Veklerov / Kimberly Veklerov / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close British tourist stabbed in head during S.F. robbery 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A tourist from the United Kingdom was fighting for his life after he was stabbed in the head during a street robbery in San Francisco, police said.

The 44-year-old man was walking with his niece, who was visiting from Southern California, east on Post Street near Franklin Street about 8:30 p.m. when they were attacked by a man and a woman. While the tourist attempted to hold onto his green messenger bag, the male suspect stabbed him in the head with a knife, said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.

The victim, whose bag contained his passport, credit cards, money and cell phone, was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with severe trauma, police said. A hospital spokesman could not comment on his condition Friday afternoon, but police said he suffered life-threatening injuries.

The victim’s niece was not injured during the encounter.

The male suspect was described as in his 30s or 40s, and his female accomplice is believed to be in her late 20s. They fled the scene on foot with the victim’s bag, and no arrests have been made.

Investigators spoke with several witnesses and were working to locate surveillance footage. Authorities also informed the British Consulate of the attack.

Former San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, who happened to be walking on the same block Friday morning on his way to the gym, said he is concerned about public safety in the neighborhood. He said police should increase foot patrols throughout the city, not just in high-profile areas where tourists are known to congregate.

“There needs to be more of a community policing presence throughout San Francisco,” Mirkarimi said. “Tourists find every nook and cranny in the city.”

During his embattled tenure as sheriff, and previously as city supervisor, Mirkarimi pushed for more beat officers and even sheriff’s deputies to patrol the city by foot. He said Friday that boosting foot patrols would act as a deterrent for crimes like Thursday night’s stabbing.

Construction workers on the block, who are building a California Pacific Medical Center campus, said they had not heard of the attack but were not concerned for their safety. Employees at a Walgreens near the crime scene also had not heard of the robbery.

Jose Betancourt, who does restorative justice work for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, located in the neighborhood, was shocked by the stabbing but thought the street was relatively safe in general.

The attack is just the latest in a string of street muggings in which tourists have been victimized.

In December, three French tourists were robbed on a Twin Peaks hill while snapping photos of the vista. An 81-year-old man was shoved to the ground and lost consciousness.

In August, a tourist from Thailand was shot in the shoulder by muggers who attempted to steal his camera as he shot photos near the famed winding stretch of Lombard Street, in one of the city’s most scenic neighborhoods. In the summer of 2014, two Dutch tourists were robbed at gunpoint while taking pictures in the same area.

Officer Carlos Manfredi, a police spokesman, said it’s unlikely that tourists are being targeted for robberies, which he explained tend to be crimes of opportunity.

“It happens to everybody, so every now and then there’s going to be a tourist in the mix,” Manfredi said, “especially in the tourism capital of the world.”

Police urged anyone with information about the stabbing to call them at (415) 575-4444 or send a text message to TIP411.

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