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TABLES TURNED: Thugs bash man to ground with 'metal' object, but then he gets up and all hell breaks loose

The alleged victim got himself together within moments and punched one of the attackers, who then decided to flee the scene

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: A couple of thugs got a reality check Sunday night, October 30, after they bashed a 6-foot-2 man in the back of his head on a San Francisco street with a "metal" object.

Richard Titus was knocked to the ground from the impact and sustained a significant wound that required five staples to close it. However, the alleged victim got himself together within moments and punched one of the attackers, who then decided to flee the scene. Titus recalled that he had just parked his car in the area of Sutter and Baker Streets and was taking a short walk to a friend's house around 9.30 pm when he was accosted by the thugs.

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"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 [and] went down on all fours," he told KPIX-TV. "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 later quipped to KRON-TV, "I punched him, as you do."

Titus believes his reaction took his attackers by surprise and they were scared enough to run away. He said the suspects were probably after his rare wristwatch -- a 1968 Rolex Daytona. "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," he told KPIX, adding, "I just wanted to get home and bandage my head and go to bed." Titus said he didn't call 911 as he was expecting a delayed response. However, he went to a hospital the next day to get checked out. Doctors told him he had suffered a severe concussion and needed five staples in the back of his head.

Titus said he has fragmented memories of the attack and reportedly needs several weeks of recovery time. According to KPIX, hospital staff reported the incident to the authorities, but no one from law enforcement showed up during his 10-hour stay. City police later told him to go to the police station and complete the report. "I was disappointed they didn't come for the police report," Titus told KPIX. An officer eventually visited him Tuesday afternoon, November 1, to finish the report at his residence. However, he believes the visit happened only due to the social media attention the incident garnered.

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"I'd like to see some action from law enforcement and the city," Titus told KPIX, "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 added, "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." Speaking to KRON, the alleged victim said, "I’ve never been mugged before, I’ve definitely never been assaulted before by strangers. It felt a little scary given I’m in the city I love." He remembered his attackers having a darker complexion and wearing hoodies. One of them had a baseball cap and both were around five feet tall, he said. Police are investigating the incident, albeit no arrests have been made at the time of publication. 

If you or anyone you know has information that could lead to the suspects, you can anonymously call the police tip line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.