Six Asian male juveniles have been arrested for allegedly beating a Latino youth in the Chinatown area of San Francisco and leaving him unconscious

Cicero A. Estrella:

The attack Friday is being treated as a hate crime because the suspects yelled racial epithets during the attack, police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens said.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the victim and two boys he was with got in a confrontation with the suspects, Gittens said.

The suspects chased the three boys and caught the victim and beat him at Pacific and Grant avenues. The two others escaped the attack and have not been located or identified, Gittens said.

A number of witnesses called the police, and officers found the victim unconscious. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital and has since been released, Gittens said.

Officers found the suspects near the area where the attack occurred, Gittens said.

The suspects also allegedly robbed the victim of a number of personal items, he said.

The six juveniles were booked on various charges including suspicion of attempted murder, hate crimes and robbery, Gittens said.

Additionally, Bobby Saechao, 18, of Sacramento and Peter Zhong, 18, of San Francisco were cited for contributing to the delinquency of minors, Gittens said.

The department's gang task force investigated the attack because of the large number of people involved, but it has not determined if the attackers or the victim are gang members, Gittens said.

Anti-Latino hate crime in Chinatown

Six juveniles facing charges after attack on Latino youth in Chinatown