Man beaten unconscious on North Beach street corner

A 59-year-old man was severely beaten early Monday morning in San Francisco's North Beach, police said. A 59-year-old man was severely beaten early Monday morning in San Francisco's North Beach, police said. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man beaten unconscious on North Beach street corner 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Police are hunting for three suspects who brutally beat a 59-year-old man, leaving him with a large gash on his head and a traumatic brain injury after a fight erupted on a street corner in San Francisco’s North Beach early Monday.

The incident started when the victim got into a squabble with three men in their 20s inside of an unnamed restaurant near the intersection of Vallejo and Grant streets, officials said.

The tough words escalated into a physical altercation after the group went outside around 12:45 a.m., police said.

That’s when one of the suspects punched the victim in the face, knocking him to the ground.

The other men then jumped in and continued the beating, leaving the man unconscious in the street, police said.

Officers said they found the victim, whom they did not identify, unconscious with a gash on the back of his head and cuts and bruises on his face.

Paramedics rushed the man to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was being treated for a life-threatening traumatic brain injury.

No suspects were identified or arrested in the beating.

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