A well-known fixture of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood was shot and injured by a driver he reportedly tangled with while walking in a crosswalk Sunday afternoon.

According to SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Monica MacDonald, at 2:32 yesterday afternoon police were called to the intersection of Columbus and Vallejo Streets, on reports of a shooting.

When they arrived, they learned that the victim was locally-famous North Beach man Roy Mottini, a man profiled by the Chron in 2007 as "the guy with the thrift-store tweed jacket who spends his days sitting at the outdoor cafes, puffing a cigarette and then walking until it's time for the next smoking break."

Walking was apparently what Mottini was doing Sunday when, ABC7 reports, "as Mottini was crossing Vallejo Street against the signal he began yelling at a driver of a Mazda SUV who may have driven too close to him."

A diner at the nearby Buster's Cheese Steak said that "He took his cane out and whacked his car. Interestingly enough just as he did that I said, 'Roy, you're gonna get yourself killed if you don't stop doing that.' The guy gets out of his car and pops a cap off."

KTVU reports that Mottini might also have used a racial slur during the argument, right before he was shot.

The gunshots struck Mottini in the shoulder, and shattered multiple windows at Buster's. Witnesses say that immediately following the shooting, the driver fled the scene in a grey SUV and has not been seen since.

MacDonald says that Mottini, who the Chron described in 2007 as a high-functioning "chronic paranoid schizophrenic," was transported to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for his injuries. He is expected to survive.

According to MacDonald, security cameras caught images of the vehicle, and officers are actively looking for the gunman. At publication time, however, police are not releasing a suspect description or any other details in the case.