Man critically hurt in North Beach fight

A 35-year-old man who was punched in the head at Washington Square Park in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood on Thursday evening remains in critical condition this morning, a police spokesman said.

The fight was reported at about 8 p.m. Thursday at the park, located at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Union Street, according to San Francisco police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza.

Emergency crews responded to the park and determined that another man had punched the victim in the head, Esparza said. The suspect fled the park after the assault and has not been identified by police.

Esparza said the victim had been drinking in the park with a small group of friends when a verbal altercation began and the suspect, described as a man in his mid 20s, punched the victim in the head, knocking him out.

The victim was out for roughly a minute or two, police said. He was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He experienced head trauma resulting in a fractured skull and internal bleeding, Esparza said. Esparza said that the suspect was known to at least one of the witnesses at the park.

Police have not determined whether the victim knew the suspect as well. Witnesses to the fight have not been cooperating with the investigation and refused to identify about the suspect, Esparza said.