For the second time in just over two weeks, someone has lit an unsuspecting man on fire in or near the Tenderloin. KRON 4 brings news of this morning's incident, which reportedly went down just after midnight.
Apparently a light color SUV rolled up on the 37-year-old victim on the 1200 block of Polk Street and an attacker tossed lighter fluid on the man's shirt. The suspect then set the victim on fire. The victim was taken to the hospital with burns, but he is expected to survive.
Although disturbing enough as it is, the attack this morning is made even more so by the fact that a very similar incident went down on May 15. In that attack, a homeless man awoke from his slumber in the early evening on the 100 block of Hyde Street to find his sleeping bag — inside of which he was sleeping — on fire. He was able to escape unharmed, and told police he saw an unknown person fleeing the scene.
Despite the similarities between the two cases, there is no evidence at this time that they are related. No arrests have been made in either case, and if you have any information about either attack you can call SFPD's anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444 or send a tip to Tip411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.
