SAN FRANCISCO—A video of an elderly man being taunted and assaulted while collecting cans was posted to social media on Sunday, February 23 in the Bayview District.

In the video, an elderly Asian man is seen being harassed by a Black man. While the person taking the video is never seen, they can be heard taunting the victim from behind the cameras as he cries.

The unknown assailant swung at the man and touched his recyclables.

It is unclear what spawned the attack. A crowd gathers around the scene, as the man attempts to return to his collection of recyclables to be batted away by the suspect. The male suspect used a metal grabber owned by the victim to strike him.

As the altercation continues, people can be heard yelling at the man to “go get your cans.” The person recording at one point exclaims, “I hate Asians.”

The video was posted to Twitter on Sunday as police look to identify the victim and the assailants. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) responded to the post the following morning stating:

“We appreciate everyone bringing this video to our attention. At the time, we would like to announce we have initiated an investigation into this matter.”

The SFPD is seeking public assistance in identifying the victim.

The SFPD updated the public on Tuesday, February 25, after the Bayview Police Station initiated the investigation, the Special Investigations Division is taking over. Due to the “inflammatory language” in the video, they’re reviewing the incident as a possible hate crime.

The SFPD encourages anyone with information to contact them.