San Francisco entrepreneur assaulted with metal rod issues warning to always be alert
SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco entrepreneur and longtime resident is speaking out after he was the victim in a violent assault in Lower Pacific Heights Sunday night.
Richard Titus said he is sharing his story in part to remind people to stay alert -- even in familiar surroundings in supposedly safe neighborhoods.
He hopes more people speak up about such crimes, so that the demand for a better quality of life in San Francisco will be heard by public officials.
Titus said he had just parked his car in the area of Sutter and Baker Streets, and took a short walk to a friend's home around 930 p.m. He believes the suspects may have been after his rare Rolex Daytona.
"I was walking up the street, minding my own business, I heard some footsteps behind me, and then suddenly --'Bam' -- I got hit in the back of the head with something metal, I went down on all fours," said Titus. "When I got up, I turned around, there were two assailants. One holding a bar and one not. The one not holding something was closer to me, so I took a swing at him."
Titus said the suspects then ran away. He was left with what turned out to be a severe concussion and fragmented memories around the event. He has five staples in the back of his head and is looking at several weeks of recovery.
"I'm 6-foot-2. I didn't actually realize how bad the injury was and standing on a street corner in the cold, my head was hurting, I was bleeding," Titus said. "I just wanted to get home and bandage my head and go to bed."
He didn't call 911 because he said he was expecting a delayed police response. He also didn't realize the severity of his injuries.
It was the next day, on Halloween, that he went to the hospital to get checked out. It was there that staff members called police to take a report. But no one showed up during his 10-hour stay. He was later told by SFPD to go into the police station and complete it.
"Very disappointed, I mean I was very happy with the response today," he said. "I was disappointed they didn't come for the police report."
Titus believes a police officer eventually visited him to finish the report Tuesday afternoon at the residence where he's currently staying, after he received social media attention.
"I always felt safe in San Francisco, even in the dangerous years, 15 years ago, but even before this experience it feels more menacing, and the police response seems slower," he added.
In addition to urging people to being more aware of their surroundings:
"I'd like to see some action from law enforcement and the city," he said. "I think there needs to be a tighter relationship between the mayor's office and the enforcement, and the third thing is I'd like criminals to be held to account."
He described the two suspects as being around 5 feet tall. They wore hoodies and one had a baseball cap. Officers also took note of buildings that may have surveillance video on Tuesday.
Titus also noted he was sober during the entire incident. In fact, he has been sober for the last 30 years.
SFPD said in a statement to KPIX 5:
In the evening of October 30, 2022 an assault occurred in the area of Sutter and Baker. The SFPD was made aware of the incident on November 1, 2022 and is in the process of investigating the incident. No arrests have been made, and this remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.