Richard Titus, a California dad of three, had just parked his vehicle in the Lower Pac Heights district of San Francisco with the intention of taking a short walk to a friend’s house. Unfortunately, nothing went as planned. Titus, who has resided in San Francisco for years, was severely attacked by two attackers within a short time. Fortunately, he turned the tables, though not before sustaining a severe head injury.
Titus heard footsteps behind him as he ascended a steep San Francisco street, but at 6 feet 2 inches tall, he is not easily frightened. He said that as he was going up the street, minding his own business, he heard footsteps behind him, and then “bam”—he was struck in the back of the head with something metallic. Unbeknownst to Titus at the time, the strike had inflicted a serious wound, but it did not prevent him from protecting himself immediately after getting up.
Titus sprang to his feet and got a look at the two males, who he subsequently described as having a darker complexion and being around 5 feet tall. At least one was brandishing a firearm, and both wore hoodies. The second one seemed to be groping for Titus’ 1968 Rolex Daytona wristwatch. Titus took things into his own hands at that point. Richard Titus recounted with a smile, so he hit him, as is customary. The one who was not carrying anything was closer to him, so Richard swung at him.
It was sufficient to transform the aggressive suspects into cowards. Titus feels that his assailants, who presumably believed they would lose this battle, were frightened enough by his response to flee the area immediately. Sadly, the harm had already been done. Titus said that his brain has kind of fragmented his recollection of the evening, and that’s what occurs with traumatic brain injuries, saying that while he recalls the attack pretty well, the last thing he recalls distinctly before the attack is leaving a brunch between 5 and 6 p.m.
Titus’s next recollection after the violent incident was going up the stairs to his friend’s apartment with blood trickling down his back from a head injury. Titus recounted that he didn’t understand how severe the damage was, and while standing on a street corner in the cold, his head ached and he was bleeding. He only wanted to get home, bandage his head, and go to bed.
Titus did not contact 911 because he anticipated a delayed police reaction; however, when he awoke the following morning with blood all over his pillowcase, he believed it would be prudent to get the injuries examined. Titus traveled to the emergency department at California Pacific Medical Center, where five staples were used to seal the six-inch wound on the back of his skull. Unsurprisingly, he also had a serious concussion and has only fragmentary recollections of the assault.
Posted by Richard D. Titus on Monday, 31 October 2022
The medical personnel compelled Titus to make a police complaint, which was also required by his insurance company, after finding the man’s head wound and hearing his account. He waited until about 11 p.m., but no cops arrived throughout his 10-hour hospital stay. Titus, feeling disheartened and despondent, posted images of his wounds and the details of his attack on social media. Shortly after publishing the post, he claims that two police captains eventually contacted him to assist with filing the case.
He has lived intermittently in San Francisco for all these years and has never been robbed, or attacked by strangers. Titus, who was supposed to need many weeks to recuperate, remarked that it seemed a bit unnerving to be in the city he likes. While he was grateful to be safe and able to protect himself, he wishes the city would boost its police presence and react more quickly to incidents like these.
Richard Titus advised people to be more cautious of their surroundings and hoped that instances of this kind would result in a stronger police presence and reaction. In addition, he believed it was essential to mention that he remained sober during the whole encounter. He said that he had been sober for thirty years. While we are proud of him for this, it is somewhat unfortunate that a victim of violence felt compelled to protect his reputation from a second sort of assault after having his skull beaten in during an unjustified attack.
