(WARNING: This story contains graphic video)

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Surveillance video obtained by KRON4 captured a shocking daylight stabbing that occurred in San Francisco’s Chinatown district on Thursday afternoon.

In the video, which was captured at the corner of Stockton and Sacramento streets, a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt is seen slowly walking down the sidewalk.

As the man approaches the corner, he suddenly pulls a knife out and with his right hand, thrusts the knife into the back of a man who appears to have been waiting for the crosswalk. The shocking attack appears to have been entirely unprovoked.

The attacker then walks briskly away from the scene, crossing the street, and disappearing from the frame.

The victim can be seen turning around, clutching their lower back and staggering around for a moment before collapsing to the sidewalk. He appears to attempt to get up again before eventually laying down on his stomach.

Several bystanders walk by, but none of them appear to render aid, apart from a man who was standing nearby and appears to pull out his phone to call for help.

The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that officers responded to a stabbing at 1:13 p.m. Thursday at Stockton and Sacramento. Officers arrived at the scene where the victim was suffering from a stab wound.

Paramedics arrived and transported the victim to the hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

During a subsequent investigation, police located a suspect matching the description provided by witnesses near the 600 block of Powell Street. He was detained without incident and arrested.

SFPD has not released the suspect’s name or any pending charges. No information was given on possible motive for the attack.

The stabbing occurred the same day members of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security detail were involved in an altercation with two people in the Tenderloin district and two days before SF’s Lunar New Year Parade is set to take place in Chinatown.

Muni driver Hannibal is reflected in a rearview mirror as he operates the 67 Bernal Heights bus in San Francisco on Feb. 18, 2026. The route is among those with the most persistent delays, according to Muni performance data. (Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)